Touching Time
by Trafalgar Neo
Summary: SEQUEL to A Frozen Soul & A Doctor's Orders A new threat arises, bringing light to a forgotten memory and answers to questions Law has always had about Neo: 'Why did he save her? and Why was he so determined to keep her alive'. Neo and Law will have to face their most toughest challenge ever.
1. Hard Decisions

Hard Decisions

Neo flipped to the next page of her book. She was stretched out on the rec. room couch, her feet propped up in Penguin's lap. She was trying to focus on the book in her hands, but her mind wouldn't keep off of Law. When the current object she was obsessing over walking into the room she glanced up at him over the top of her book. He seemed too distracted to notice that she was watching him as he grabbed a couple books then left the room.

"Have you noticed something different with Law lately?" Neo questioned when she was sure Law was no longer in ear shot.

"I don't think so," Penguin replied while not taking his eyes from his own book. It had become a habit for them to read together. It came from him being one of the main ones to teach her how to read. He then peered over at her. A playful, yet teasing grin pulled across his lips. "Then…I don't spend as much _quality_ time with him as you do."

Neo's cheeks immediately flushed. She pulled her book up to cover her face. She knew exactly what he was talking about. Penguin was the only one who would openly tease her like that. Maybe he was the only one brave enough, or stupid enough, to do so. He still knew that he wasn't immune to Law's wrath if he ever hurt her, which he never would. He knew where the line to stop teasing her was and he never ever came close to crossing it. He loved her too much to intentionally hurt her.

She jabbed the heel of her foot into his leg. Though he didn't really feel it due to the thickness of his overalls. He chuckled as she cleared her throat. "There just seems to be something weighting on his mind lately. He can be sitting right beside me, but it feels like he's miles away. I don't like it."

Penguin patted her ankle affectionately. "Try not to think about it. You know how he is. When he's ready to talk he will."

"Yeah," Neo mumbled.

"Hey, Neo?" Shachi asked as he and Bepo poked their heads into the room.

"What's up, guys?" She inquired.

"Just wondering what's for supper," Shachi replied. "We're getting hungry."

"Then cook something," Penguin quipped. "She's not your personal chief."

"But Neo is such a good cook," Bepo flattened his ears to his head. "And she said she would make a cake soon."

Penguin let out an irritated grumble. "You guys are just being lazy."

"Face the truth, Pen ol' buddy," Shachi gave him a cheeky grin. "You love her cooking too."

Penguin couldn't stop his blushing. Neo laughed as she closed her book. "Okay, okay. I'll get it started now. It's about that time anyway."

"What are we having?" Bepo asked as she stood up.

"Well, I was thinking of grilled fish and onigiri," She replied as she placed her book back on the bookshelf. Penguin followed her movements with his own. He was going to help her get supper ready.

"Captain's favorite. He'll like that," Shachi nodded.

"Does that mean you're going to help?" Neo raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uh," Shachi twitched before bolting away. "I've got work to finish up."

The three remaining in the room laughed. They all knew very well that Shachi wasn't the best at cooking. Anytime he could get out of doing it, he did. Bepo inevitably wondered off as well. His fur had a bad habit of shedding off into the rice when he tried to roll it. This left Penguin and Neo the only ones heading for the kitchen.

"Why don't you work on getting the cake started while I get the rest going?" Penguin asked as he started to pull out the necessary items.

"Okay," Neo nodded and did as he suggested. The two buzzed happily around the galley, unaware that they were being watched by their captain. He watched them quietly from the shadows for a long while. When he walked away he rubbed the back of his neck in deep thought…and worry.

Neo was putting the icing on the cake when the crew started to file into the galley. Soon after that Law had joined them. He walked over to her and kissed her temple. "I see you made my favorite."

"Yup," She smiled and looked up at him. "I thought you could use it since you've been distracted lately."

Something flashed across his eyes. It happened to quick for her to register what the look was or what it was about. He only nodded before taking her hand and led her over to the table. The room was quickly filled with chatter. Her eyes kept going to him. She couldn't stop wondering what that look he had in his eyes was about.

She remained distracted all through supper and even when she was washing up the dishes. She was so distracted that she didn't even hear Law reenter the room. "Neo?"

"Yes?" She jumped at his voice.

"Are you finished?"

"Yes," She nodded as she dried her hands and walked over to him. "Did you need something?"

She noticed he hesitated. He swallowed before he answered her. "The crew is gathering in the rec. room. There's something I have to talk to you all about."

"Okay," She followed him out into the hall. Both remained quiet as they trudged along at a slower pace than usual. She couldn't take the silence anymore. "Law, what's wrong? I know there's something going on in that head of yours. Why won't you just tell me what it is? Did I upset you or something? Are you angry at me?"

He stopped walking. She stopped as well and looked at him with worried eyes. He leaned down and gave her a tender kiss. "No, my love. You did nothing wrong."

"Then what's going on? Why are you being so distant from me? You know I don't like it," Neo's voice was just above a whisper.

"I know you don't. I'm about to tell you all," Law placed his forehead on hers. "And you're not going to like it."

Dread filled her entire being. But she couldn't get herself to say anything. Law took her hand and led her the rest of the way into the rec. room. The chatter of the crew was cut short when they entered the room and noticed the tension. Neo and Penguin locked eyes for a moment. He immediately didn't like what ever was about to come.

Everyone settled down. Law then began to tell them what their next moves were going to be. He told them his plans to take down the warlord, Donquixote Doflamingo. And he was leaving… _tomorrow_. But that wasn't what was about to shake things to its core. It was what Law said next that caused everyone to stop breathing. It was what Law said next that caused Neo to feel like her world was going to shatter into a million pieces.

"What do you mean I'm not going with you?!" Neo demanded as she jumped up from the couch that she was sitting on with Law. The crew flinched. This was the first time she has ever yelled in such a manner. None of them could blame her though. It was a bombshell for them all.

"Neo," Penguin whispered to himself. It was hard, but he remained in his seat. He watched her as she clenched her hands into tight fists. Her wings snapping furiously.

Law was unmoved as he remained on the couch with his arms crossed and his hat hiding his eyes. Her clenched fists began to shake as tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.

She was angry. She was actually angry. And it was _him_ , of all people, who made her feel that way. His silence wasn't helping the situation either. "Why? Answer me, Law!"

When he didn't it only made her even more angry. So angry that she raised her hand and actually slapped him. She slapped him then ran out of the rec. room. The crew flinched at the sound the contact of their skin made. They couldn't believe that she actually slapped him. They remained frozen as they waited to see what their captain's reply or reaction would be.

Law still didn't say anything. Shadows still hovered over his eyes as he calmly stood up, shoved his hands in his pockets and followed after her. The crew just watched in shocked silence. Some, namely Penguin, wanted to go after her as well, but knew they shouldn't. The only one she need to talk to and be with right now was Law.

He remained calm as he trudged down the halls of the sub. He could hear the door slam to their room. When he finally reached his destination…he didn't go in. Instead, he pressed his back to the wall and slid down it until he was sitting on the floor. He could easily get in there. He knew that. She knew that. But he didn't. He knew this was going to be hard for her and allowed her to go through it at her own pace. She'd come to him when she was ready.

That time wasn't until about ten thirty at night when she finally lifted her tear streaked face from her knees. She was leaning against the door. Before she even picked herself up off the floor she knew he would be just outside the room waiting for her. She unlocked the door and opened it. She dropped her own shadow covered eyes to the left. There he was. Just like she knew he would be. Hat down, arms crossed. She knew he wasn't asleep.

She stepped to his side and kneeled down. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she pivoted her body into his arms. One arm around her back, the other under her knees, she clung to his neck as he stood up with her in his embrace and walked into their room, closing the door with his foot. He sat down with her on the bed, keeping her in his lap as he kicking his shoes off. He held her tightly to his own throbbing chest. "I'm sorry, Neo. I'm so sorry. I can't take you with me this time. I need you to understand. I can't put you in his path. I refuse to loose you, especially to _him_."

She held on tighter to him and clenched her teeth. She was fully aware of Law's past and who this man really was. _He_ was the one who had hurt Law so much when he was just a child. _He_ was the one who tortured Law, the one who had killed Corazon.

Law tightened his hold on her as her body trembled against his. "You are my lover, my life, my baby, my wife…If he ever knew what you mean to me, he wouldn't hesitate to hurt you. I _won't_ give him the chance to touch you. I _won't_ give him the chance to use you against me. I _can't_ take that risk. I _won't_ take that risk, not with you."

Law's fear of Doflamingo finding out about her and using her to get to him or, worse, killing her monstrously towered over his need to be beside her. He needed his complete focus on taking the man down. If she was there he wouldn't be able to do that.

Her voice cracked and trembled when she finally spoke. "I'm not supposed to sleep without you."

"I know. I'm the one breaking that order not you," Law said as he remembered when he gave her that order.

"I can't. I can't do this," Neo's voice was barely just above a whisper. She clung tighter to him as her tears poured down her cheeks.

"Yes, you can. You are much stronger now. I'm very proud of how you have grown. I will come back to you. I promise. Neo, _please_ , I need you to wait here for me. Will you do that for me?"

Neo didn't want to. Even the mere thought of being away from him, for any length of time, was painful for her. But she nodded slightly. He was doing this to protect her. And he has never given her a reason to doubt him. It just hurt that she was going to have to be separated from him for so long.

He gently lifted her from his neck. She allowed him to do so only she didn't meet his eyes with her own. He brushed her tears away with his lips before placing his lips repeatedly on hers in tender pecks.

Eventually she gave into him through her fresh tears and kissed back. This would be the last time, for a long while, that they were going to spend the night in the same bed. Law didn't want to waste a second of it on anything else than just being with her. He briefly broke their kiss so he could lifted her shirt from her body then put his lips right back to hers. Once he chucked the item away he wrapped his arms back around her then rolled her down on the bed, never breaking their locked lips.

A few hours later, he was sitting on the edge of the bed, fully dressed and watching her sleep. She was going to be so upset with him for leaving like this. But he had too. He knew he wouldn't be able to leave her if she was awake. It really was best this way, no matter how much it was actually hurting him.

He pulled the covers over her exposed skin then leaned down to place his cheek against hers. "Forgive me, my love. I promise to be back as soon as I can."

He placed a lingering kiss on her temple before forcing himself to take the hardest steps of his life away from her.

Penguin had met him in the hallway. Law's order for him was simple as he handed the young man several pieces of paper. "Take care of her."

"We will," Penguin nodded while casting a glance at the papers his captain gave him. He forced back a smile when he saw it was instructions on how to take care of Neo if certain situations were to arise. He looked back at Law. "What about you, Captain? This is also your first time being away from her for so long. Will you be all right?"

"I'll be fine as long as I know she's safe," Law said.

He then left the sub.

He left Neo.

…

 **Author's Notes: Finally! We're starting! And we're starting with a couple sad chapters T.T Anyway, I'm finally back and ready to post! That outline was a pain. The story took on a life of its own and is taking me along for the ride all with you all. But it will be a fun one, possible with a few surprises.**

 **As for their wedding…Yeah, it was just a normal human wedding. Whatever that consists of in the world of One Piece. From what I've seen it looks like typical American style weddings with white dress and all?**

 **As for an Elemental wedding? Nope, that can't happen since Law isn't an Elemental. They can't use the merge crystal. But the Elementals would accept their marriage if they ever were to return to Luminous. While Neo gave up becoming queen she is still their princess and they'll still respect her and Law as her life mate.**

 **Having Kuma officiate the wedding? Now** _ **that**_ **would be fun, if not awkward considering what happened on Sabaody Archipelago.**

 **Another 'As for'…Law dominating over Neo. Come on, it's** _ **Law**_ **we're talking about here. Of course he's going to, but he'll does it now out of love, sometimes playfulness, instead of doing it because he's the captain. But don't think Neo will let him get away with 'everything' now. Trust me, she is far more in control of Law that she even realizes, at least back in the first story. She's learned a few things since then.**


	2. Without Law P1

Without Law

Part One

Neo's bangs hung over her eyes as she lumbered through the sub and into the galley. She slumped down onto the bench. The crew didn't say anything. They weren't sure what they could or should say to her. All they could do was exchange concerned looks. Penguin filled her a plate and sat it down in front of her.

He went to check on her earlier that day. She was up. Sitting in the nightlight lit bedroom, wearing Law's shirt and crying into her knees as she hugged them. He didn't say anything then either. He knew she needed time to adjust to Law not being there. Besides there was nothing he, nor anyone else, could say or do to make her feel better. He just peaked in on her after softly knocking on the door then closed it and waited for her to come out on her own.

Neo picked up the spoon, spooning some of the rice dish. She brought it up to her lips and paused. After several seconds she inserted the spoon into her mouth. The second the food touched her tongue her stomach lurched. She dropped the spoon, clamped her hand over her mouth and bolted from room, Penguin following after her.

When he caught up with her, she was haunched in the bathroom, emptying what she had in her stomach. He didn't say anything as he kneeled down, making sure her hair was out of the way then rubbed her back. She dropped back onto the floor and cried. "I can't…do this. I can't."

Penguin pulled her into his arms. "Yes, you can. You just need time to adjust. The first day is always the hardest. It'll get easier. I promise you are going to be fine. You are strong enough to handle this. We're here with you. He'll be back. Just be patient."

She didn't say anything more as he held her.

A little over an hour later the two emerged from the room. Penguin guided her to the rec. room where she spent the day. She just sat there and stare out into space. Sometimes a member of the crew would try to distract her with some task or game. Nothing worked. And she never did eat anything. Any time she thought about food it made her nauseous.

Once Penguin finished his work for the day he immediately went to the rec. room. He grab a book and sat down beside her. At one point she leaned against him and the two stayed like that until it was time to turn in for the night. After he put up his book he walked back over to her. He held out his hand. "Come on. Tomorrow will be better."

She didn't say anything as she took his hand and stood up. She quietly followed him as he led her through the sub. He paused at her and Law's room. "You know where we are if you need us."

She nodded slowly. He hugged her and kissed her cheek before heading for his own bed. She stood alone in the hall for a while before forcing herself to walk into the room. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it.

The cool air bit at her skin as every single memory made in this room flooded back to her like a tidal wave. She couldn't bring herself to sleep in there without him. She jerked the door open and jumped back out into the hall, almost slamming the door behind her. She caught herself before the door slammed shut then closed it quietly.

She pulled her shaking hand from the door handle and headed for the rec. room. She sat back down on the couch. Pulling her feet upon the upholstery she hugged her legs as she pressed her forehead to her knees.

…

Penguin was laying with his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. He was thinking about Neo, wondering if she was all right, if she needed anything. He pushed off his bed to go check on her. When he got to the room he softly knocked on the door. "Neo, are you awake?"

He waited but no answer came. He knocked on the door again. "I'm coming in."

He slowly opened the door. When he saw the empty bed he turned and left the room. He should have know she wouldn't be there. Before going to her, he made a detour to the supply closet and grabbed two blankets and two pillows.

He then went to the rec. room where Neo was curled upon the couch. He smiled softly at her. At least she was sleeping, obviously cried herself to sleep, but sleeping. He dropped one blanket and pillow on the floor before placing the other pillow under her head and covering her with the blanket. He then laid down on the floor where she could easily see him when she woke up.

And she would see him everyday after that. It became quickly apparent that Neo wasn't going to sleep in their room without him. No one tried to force her either. So she and Penguin spent their nights in the rec. room. Penguin eventually moved his mattress in there since it was going to be a longer term sleeping arrangement. Shachi and Bepo joined them not long after that. It helped her sleep better when they were with her. Occasionally other members of the crew would join them, but mostly it was them three.

After a couple days of refusing food at all, Penguin was able to persuade her to start drinking juices and broth. He did this by bringing Law into it. He told her Law wouldn't be happy with her if she starved herself. It was almost two weeks before Penguin could coaxed her into eating solid foods again.

And it took about two months before Neo was coherent enough to start cooking for them again. They were glad when she did. It help keep her distracted. Once she was closer to being herself again, the crew wanted to keep it that way. So they started distracting her the best ways they could figure out while they were on the sub. Keeping her mind off Law was a lot easier when they were above the ocean and on islands. The sub just held far too many memories. "Neo?"

"Hm?" Neo hummed as she pulled her cookies out of the oven.

"We're going to surface soon."

"Supplies?"

"Yes, but we're also going to spend some time off the sub too. It'll do us all some good to get out of here for a while," Penguin popped a cookie in his mouth. He chuckled. "Besides, we need to get some training done. You've been making so many treats for us. I think we've all put on a few pounds."

His heart sank a little when all she did was nod in understanding. Her smile and laugh seemed to have left when Law left. They all missed her smiled and bell filled laughter and did all they could to try and make her laugh or smile. Nothing worked.

"You don't have to train with us if you don't feel like it," Penguin said.

"I know. I want to do it," Neo replied as she boxed up her cookies so they wouldn't fly all over the galley for when the sub finally broke the surface. "It helps a little."

"All right then," Penguin nodded slowly. "We'll be at the island in about an hour."

"How long are we staying?"

"Just a couple days then we'll continued on our way to Zou," Penguin informed her as the two walked out of the galley together.

"Zou," Neo mumbled.

"Are you okay?" Penguin asked softly.

"Yeah," She nodded and wrapped her arms around his. "How…How do you think he's doing?"

"I'm sure he's fine. Missing you like crazy, but just fine," Penguin said encouragingly as he patted her hand affectionately.

…

Law let out a deep sigh as he stared down into his cup of tea. She loved tea, hot and cold and lightly sweetened. He wondered how and what she was doing right now. He had no doubt that she was still upset with him. He was upset with himself. He felt guilty. He felt like he had abandoned her. But it was necessary.

It was now nighttime. He hated nights anymore. They were too quiet, even with the now all too familiar noises that the factory made. During the daytimes he had plenty to do with his mission that kept him busy. It kept his thoughts in order and focused on the mission currently in progress.

The only thing he found not liking about days, besides being away from her, was having to spend so much time with that annoying harpy that loved to flirt with him. He ignored her attempts and thought about all the ways he could kill her. There was only one woman that he would accept advances from.

Nights were a completely different story. They gave him far too much time to think. And all he could think about was her. How was she doing? Was she sleeping? Was she eating? Was she trying to hurt herself again? He had to shake his head at that one. He knew she was passed doing that. The crew would never allow her to do that to herself anyway. He knew that Penguin would be constantly with her for comfort and support.

His crew loved her too, not like he did, but they did love her and they wouldn't allow anything to happen to her. They wouldn't allow her to harm herself in his absence. He still worried about her. How could he not worry?

Law shook his head and rubbed his neck with another deep sigh. He had to get some sleep. The clock was ticking close to midnight. He chug down his tea and finally got ready for bed. He laid down and stared at where she should be laying. He ran his hand over the cold sheets, wishing she was beside him again. He forced himself to turn to his other side and closed his eyes.

…

 **Author's Notes: Hi, everyone! We're going again. And, ya know, this chapter and the next one would have been a whole lot more easier to write if we knew exactly what happened in Zou. I've notice more information on that is coming out, but it's not detailed enough to know what really happened. But then my fanfics hardly ever line up with the actually events of the show, as I've stated before, so I guess it doesn't matter.**

 **Is Zou even in english yet? :/**

 **One thing I did happened to notice is that the Hearts Pirates have obtained a female crew mate?! O.O My first reaction to that was "OH NO! NO NO NO NO! No female crew mates with our lovely Law! No! Bad! Bad Oda!" LOL. All well, it's not my story. Besides, maybe she'll remain nameless and away from Law. XP Unless that is false information…Hmmmmm**

 **See ya next chapter!**


	3. Without Law P2

**Without Law**

 **Part Two**

Neo linked her arms with Penguin's as they headed into the village. They strolled along as the world around them chattered with sales pitches, children laughing, adults talking, dogs barking. As they walked along they ended up accidentally bumping into someone. "Hey, watch it! What's wrong with you?! Don't you have eyes?!"

"Great," Penguin mumbled when he realized who they bumped into.

"Well, if it isn't one of the Heart Pirates," Eustass chuckled darkly. Killer was standing with him. He turned his masked face to Neo and inspected her closely. Neo felt like his eyes were on Law's ring. She removed her hand from Penguin's arm and tucked it behind her while glaring at the masked man. "Who's the chick?"

"No one," Penguin said as he stepped in front of Neo. "She's none of your concern."

"I heard rumors that Trafalgar obtained a female crew member," Eustass said as he scanned his eyes over Neo. "The child must have gotten weaker if he needs woman to fight for him."

Neo glared at him as she clenched her fists. Eustass began to laugh. "She doesn't look like she could fight a normal man let alone a pirate. She's so puny. And Trafalgar thinks she can be one of us?"

"Come on, Captain. Let's just get out of here," Killer suggested. "We didn't stop here for a fight. Besides it's obvious that Trafalgar isn't with them."

"Yeah, it would be too easy to take these babies out. But I have to know, hey, girly, what did Trafalgar see in you to take you in?

"How about I _show_ you?" Neo asked through her clenched teeth. She summoned her crystals, but kept them well above eye level. The wind began to pick up as storm clouds rolled in.

" _Neo_ ," Penguin warned but it was too late. Neo brought down a lightning bolt right in front of Eustass. The red haired pirate stumbled back in shock while cursing under his breath. In all of the confusion Penguin grabbed her and took off. As he did her storm faded away leaving stunned villagers and pirates.

"What the heck was _that_?!" Eustass demanded. "Where did they go?! She is going to pay for that."

"Um, Captain," Killer said as he pointed to his captain's coat tail. "Your coat's on fire."

"Ah!" Eustass ripped off his coat, dropped it to the ground and stomped out the flames. "Curse that woman! What did she do?!"

"Let's just get out of here," Killer suggested again. "We don't have time to track them down."

"Fine," Eustass grumbled as he picked up his coat and they left.

…

Penguin carried her all the way back to the campsite. He placed her back on her feet then placed his hands on his hips, speaking to her like a parent. "Neo, are you insane? What were you thinking attacking _him_ of all people? You know the captain wouldn't like you trying to fight Eustass like that."

"I'm sorry," Neo mumbled before dropped to her knees. She wrapped her arms around herself and cried. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Penguin sighed. He kneed down and pulled her into his arms. "It's okay. I understand he upset you. But you can't attack a guy like him out of anger. You know that."

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again," Neo said as she lifted off of him.

"That's a good girl," Penguin said soothingly as he wiped her tears from her cheeks. "On a plus side, I think you took him by surprise. And you've gotten very quick in your attacks. He didn't even noticed you'd set his coat on fire until after we were long gone."

There was a short pause before Neo spoke again.

"I think Killer might have figured out who I am to Law. He saw Law's ring," She touched his ring. "Think he'll tell?"

"I doubt it," Penguin replied. "Believe it or not, he's actually the sensible one in that crew. He has no reason to tell Eustass that he _suspects_ you are romantically involved with the captain or that you're his wife."

Penguin looked back in the direction they just came from. Their camp was far enough away from the village that they could train in private, but still close enough to walk to and from it. "It's probably best if we don't return to the village until they have left."

"Okay," Neo nodded.

…

 _Neo walked alone through the dark woods. A small beam of moonlight fell down upon her. It moved with her like a spotlight as she walked on the leave covered path. A cold breeze swept through the world she was walking through. Leaves danced on the winds as they blew._

 _Her eyes wondered over the darkness. She could see glowing eyes watching her. Wolves and other beasts of the night seem to be watching her carefully. They weren't stalking her, just watching. She wasn't afraid of them either._

 _She paused when the woods in front of her disappeared then reappeared to her left. She turned to her left and started walking again. As she walked sounds of ocean waves hitting the beach began to fill her ears. The wooded path came to an end as she walked out onto a beach to find Law standing there. He smiled and held out his hand. "Hey, princess, I've been waiting for you."_

 _"Law!" Neo ran to him. She reached to grabbed his hand, but her hand went right through his and he disappeared. "Law?"_

 _Neo whipped around when laughter rang out. She didn't know who was laughing. She couldn't place the voice with anyone she knew. "Who are you?! What do you want?!"_

 _"He's dead," The voice said. "He won't be coming back to you."_

 _"Stop it!" Neo shouted. She whipped around to see Law again. He was standing up, but his chest had bullet holes. His eyes were white as blood ran down his body. She ran over to him, but once again he disappeared. "Law?!"_

 _"He's dead. He's dead," The voice kept repeating. "He's dead. Dead. Dead. Dead!"_

 _"No! Stop it!" Neo cried as she grabbed her head, trying to shut out the voice. "Stop it! He's not!"_

"He's not! Stop it! Please, stop!"

"Neo. Neo, wake up," Penguin called as he held her shoulders and shook her.

"No!" Neo shouted before she finally broke free of her nightmare. She shot up and grabbed her head. "He's dead. He's dead. Law's dead."

"No, he's not," Penguin took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. "Honey, calm down. It was just a nightmare. The captain's just fine."

"P-Penguin," Neo finally focused on him. She looked around at the concerned faces of the crew. Bepo had his ears pinned back with worry. She took a couple deep breathes before she was calm enough to speak to them. "It was just a nightmare. I'm sorry I woke you all. I'm fine now. You can go back to sleep."

The crew, all but for Penguin, Bepo and Shachi did as she said. Bepo's ears were still pinned back as he scooted closer to her. He was so concerned about her. "Neo?"

"Bepo…Come here," She patted the ground beside her. He did as she asked and moved to sit beside her. She scratched behind his ear to calm him down. Shachi moved closer as well. He lifted her legs so he could place them across his lap. With Bepo and Penguin at her sides and Shachi in front of her holding her legs, she felt she was in a protected cocoon and told them about her nightmare.

"There, there," Shachi said soothingly as he patted her leg. "It's over now. It was just a nightmare."

"I don't think it was," Neo replied softly. Her hand raised to her chest and she clenched ahold of his shirt she was wearing. "I _felt_ him. I…I think he really did get…get…"

The three men exchanged looks. They scooted closer to her. Penguin placed his around her shoulders. They stayed like that for the rest of the night.

…

Law had one of his arms crossed over his knees. His other elbow was propped on his knee as he placed his chin in his hand. He had slipped out of Kyros's house. They all were resting up from their fight with Doflamingo. It was over. Soon he would be reunited with his crew and with his love.

He looked out of the corner of his eyes when he heard someone approaching. "Thinking about someone special?"

"What do you want?" Law asked as Sabo sat down beside him.

"So harsh," Sabo chuckled as he handed Law a plate of food and a cup of tea. "And here I thought I'd be nice and bring you something to eat before Luffy ate it all."

"I'm not hungry."

"You don't have to be so protective of her around me. Luffy already told me everything," Sabo said as he kicked his feet out in front of him and leaned back on his hands.

"He needs to learn to keep his mouth shut," Law mumbled as he glared out into the darkness.

"That's Luffy for ya," Sabo shrugged. "He means well."

The two slid into silence. Law continued to start out into the night as his mind counted up the days, hours, minutes and seconds before he'd finally be reunited with her.

…

 **Author's Notes: And a completely, random appearance by Eustass and Killer!**

 **LilyAllycia: Yeah. And here yet another one. *tears* All well at least Law if finally coming home to her. Can't wait for that one.**

 **Apple Bloom: No, no, she's not pregnant. She's just really upset to the point it made her physically ill. She's very close and attached to Law. And this was the first time since they've been together that they had to separate.**

 **Audrey: Yeah, it's in english. And I can't get it until later this month. :'(**

 **tentenbaby: Yes, yes they do. Very much.**


	4. Returning

Returning

Neo sighed as she stared out at the horizon. It was warm day. The boys were fishing while she was sitting on the deck with Bepo. Bepo, laying on his back right beside her, was napping. Something Neo wanted to do herself. But every time she closed her eyes she saw him, she had nightmares about him.

"Aye, aye, Captain! Right…away," Bepo called out in his sleep. Neo looked down at him. She always found it cute how loyal, even in his sleep, Bepo was to Law.

She reached over and began to pet his forehead. The movement on his soft fur caused her to drift into sleep. Into another painful nightmare about Law never coming home. She jerked awake at the nightmare with a startling cry. "Neo, calm down. It was just another dream."

It took her a few seconds for her brain to register reality again. When she did she found Penguin kneeling beside her with his hands on her shoulders. "Penguin…"

"You really should go lay down an-"

"No," Neo cut him off with the wave of her hand.

"Neo," Penguin said in a parental tone. "The captain would not like you trying to force yourself to stay awake like this. You are completely incoherent. If we have to go into battle you'll end up getting hurt. He won't like that."

She dropped her eyes down. "I know."

"Come on," Penguin coaxed as he took her hands and pulled her up off the deck floor. "You are going to bed, right now. In your own bed, not the couch."

"I can't," Neo protested by trying to pull away from him. Being as worn out as she was it was completely futile and he wasn't going to have any of that anyway. Penguin easily pulled her into the sub, with the rest of the crew casting concerned glances at them.

She didn't protest anymore as he guided her throughout the sub and into the medical bay. "What are we doing here?"

"For this," Penguin said as he filter through the medicine draws. He pulled out a familiar brown bottle that Law has used before on her.

"Law told you to give me that if something like this happened, didn't he?" Neo asked with tears coming to her eyes.

"He gave me a whole list on what to do in several situations," Penguin chuckled. "I'm surprised he didn't write an entire novel on how to care for you in his absents."

She could easily see Law doing just that. Her tears shifted into sobs as she thought about the missing man. She rubbed her hands in her eyes to try and stop the tears. It was useless. Penguin gave her a sympathetic look then poured the liquid into a spoon and placed it near her lips. She didn't protest at all. She was too tired to. He took her hand once again, after putting everything back in its places, and led her out of the room.

He kept her hand in his as he guided her to where she should be sleeping. The closer they got to the room the more her hand trembled in his. He gave her a comforting squeeze. When they got to the room he guided her to the bed, pulling the covers back for her. "There you go. Lay down now."

She did. She laid down on her stomach and hugged Law's pillow tightly. She buried her tear streaked face in it and took in his lingering scent. Penguin pulled the covers over her and sat on the edge of the bed. "That's a good girl. You rest now. I'll come check on you later."

He rubbed her back until the medicine had forced her to sleep. He made sure the blanket was snug around her before leaving the room, leaving the door cracked open.

…

Neo hummed when her body tensed at the pressure his fingers and palm gave her as he worked her back. Her body continued to tense at his touch as she twisted until she was laying on her back. His hand never moved from her as she changed her position. When she settled on her back he pushed her shirt tail up. A cool sweep of air brushed over her stomach followed by a pair of soft lips.

She moaned then opened her eyes slightly when he kissed her stomach again.

She gasped when the familiarity of his touch finally filtered into her wakening senses. She shot up and came face to face with him. She blinked several times then rubbed the remaining sleep out of her eyes. When she looked at him again he smiled softly at her. "Hey, princess."

"La-" Neo's voice cut of when she moved her hand to reach for him. Her hand brushed across the bandage he was wearing on his right arm. He didn't stop her as she unwrapped his bandaged arm. Tears pooled into her eyes. As she touched his arm with one hand, her other hand raised to cover her mouth. "Y-You got hurt."

He gave her hip a squeeze. "I'm all right."

Neo summoned her solar crystal as she bit her lip. The glow radiated from the crystal, helping Law's body heal and restoring some of his energy. "Did…Did you get shot?"

"Why would you ask something like that?" Law questioned softly, also slightly confused.

Neo took a deep breath before locking eyes with him. "Law, I need you to be honest with me. Did you?"

"I did," He sighed as he removed his hand from her side. He lifted off his shirt and let it dropped to the floor. Neo stared teary eyed at his wounded torso. She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his chest. He stroked her hair as she sob quietly. "It's okay, love. I'm okay."

"I had a nightmare. You got shot. I knew you were hurt. I was so scared that you weren't ever going to come home," Neo said softly through her tears as she wrapped her arms around him.

Law kissed into her hair and held her tighter to him. He was a little surprised that she had felt his pain from such distance. He felt guilty. He didn't mean to hurt her like that. "I'm so sorry, my love. I didn't mean to put you through that. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm here now. It's over. Doflamingo is finished. Now…"

Law gently lifted her up from his chest. He brushed away her tears before placing multiple kisses on her cheeks, forehead, lips and neck. He spoke to her between each kiss. "…I'm going to make you happy again. I will bring your smile back."

Neo let her eyelid drift closed as he continued to kiss her. When he kissed her lips again she kissed back, locking their lips together in a much need kiss. She snaked her arms around his neck as his hands wondered over her body. She could tell from the way he was touching her that he was refreshing his memory of how she felt, the curves of her body, the softness of her skin, the way she always tensed when he touched her in the right places. His touching also told her that he had missed her as much as she missed him.

He tugged on the shirt she was wear. She broke their kiss so he could lift it off of her. Once it was out of the way, she locked their lips back together. Holding the kiss, she leaned back, pulling him with her to lay down on the bed.

Knowing she needed air, he trailed kisses away from her lips to the soft spot on her neck, making her hum and arch her back as he kissed and touched her. She panted softly as she slid her arms from his neck, running her hands over his bare chest and stomach, then gently raking her fingernails over his back.

…

"Think they've made up yet?" A crew mate asked.

"I'm sure they did more than that," Another one chuckled. Penguin shot them a warning glance and they fell into silence for a while.

"When do you think we should head back?" A third one questioned.

"Some time tomorrow. Let them have their space for now. They really need it," Penguin said while looking up at the stars. "Besides, it's such a nice night tonight. It would be a shame to waste it hiding inside."

"Yeah," Shachi nodded. "How about a couple rounds of cards?"

"I'm in."

"Same."

"Deal me in."

Penguin looked over at the sub. He stared at it with a light smile. He knew with their captain back now it wouldn't be much longer until they saw her smile again. He couldn't wait to see it and hear her bell filled laughter. His thoughts were broken when Shachi called him. "Hey, Pen, you in?"

"Yeah, I'm in."

…

Neo sighed contently as she watched her love sleeping soundly. She had her right hand on his chest and her chin rested upon that. Her left hand was in his hair, the corner of his lips twitching into a smile whenever she fiddled with it. Her body rose and fell with his chest each time he took a breath. His lips were slightly parted as he sucked air in and blew it out.

She tilted her head, laying her cheek on her hand. Her eyes landing on the scar he now wore on his right arm. She pull her left hand from his hair and began to trace the injury with her finger tips. It was obvious they had a tough time taking down Doflamingo. She knew that from her nightmare.

She could only guess at how he had acquired each and every one of these new scars that decorated his body. She didn't really want to know. If he told her, fine. If he didn't tell her, fine. It was bad enough being separated from him. She really didn't care if he ever told her what happened with the fight or not. He was finally back by her side, they were safe and that's all she cared about.

A deep inhale and exhale signaled to her that he was waking up. She placed her chin back on her hand and watched as he stirred. When he finally was awake he placed a hand behind his head and looked at her. She greeted him with a smile. He reached out with his other hand and brushed his finger tips over her bangs. "There's my princess's sweet smile…What time is it?"

"A little passed one. I was starting to wondering if you were ever going to wake up," She teased with a raspy voice. When he frown at her she tilted her head. "What is it?"

"You're hoarse," She blinked a few times. She hadn't even register her voice until he mentioned it. "I was too rough on you last night. I apologize."

"Law," She reached up and tugged a piece of his hair just hard enough to make him wince. " _Don't_. We both deserved last night after being apart for so long."

Law smiled then lift his head to kiss her forehead. He cut the kiss short and frowned. "You have a fever."

"I don't feel sick."

Law sighed as he pulled the covers up around her bare shoulders. He then wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. "We should have waited. I should have given you an exam before w-"

" _Law!_ " Neo tugged again on his hair. "Stop with the guilt trips. If I am getting sick _last night_ had nothing to do with it. Okay?"

"Okay," He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead again, mostly to register her temperature but also to let her know he won't hold onto his guilt. Neo laid her head back down on his chest as he danced his fingers in her hair. They remained in that position until noises from the crew filtered in through the walls, alerting the couple to their return. "I guess they finally decided to come back."

"Well, considering last night, wouldn't you say it was best they decided to stay away?" Neo looked back up at him with an eyebrow raised. Law couldn't stop his sheepish grin and a blush as it spread across his face. She then finally rolled off of him and stretched out her stiff body as he got up to dress.

He paused after pulling his jeans on. He turned and crawled back onto the bed. She was sitting up until his nose touched hers. She let out a surprised squeak as she fell back onto the bed, clenching the covers to her chest. Law planted a hand on each side of her and looked down at her with a stern expression. " _You_ , my sick little princess, are staying right here."

"Oh?" She placed her hands on his bare chest then dragged them over his skin before snaked them over his shoulders and locking her fingers behind his neck. "Is that an order from my captain? Or from my husband?"

Law chuckled. "Your _captain_."

"Oh," She pooched out her lips, looking as cute as she possibly could. "And here I thought my _husband_ decided he was going to stay in bed with me all day."

The two chuckled. When Neo's smile faded away Law gave her a questioning look. She sighed and fiddled with his hair. "You will stay with me though, right?"

"Of course I will. I will stay right by your side for as long as you need me to," Law brushed his hands over her arms. He leaned down and nipped at her neck making her giggle. "I just have to talk to the crew. I'll be back soon and bring you some soup. I want you better as soon as possible. No more worrying now."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Neo teased. He chuckled again before placing a kiss on her warm forehead then pushed off the bed to continue getting dressed to leave the room. She stretch again, trying to release some more of her stiffness. She rolled onto her side and snuggled into the covers. A little while after Law had left she finally pulled herself from the bed so she could get dressed herself.

While she moved around the room she found that Law was indeed right. She was getting sick. She shivered at the sick chill that spread through her and grumbled at the lousy timing. She pulled one of Law's hoodies over her already clothed body then laid back down and easily fell asleep. She remained there until Law had returned with a tray of soup, orange juice, medicine and a newspaper tucked under his arm. He gently woke her. "Think you can eat?"

"Uh huh," She replied goggly as she sat up. He placed extra pillows behind her, which she gladly accepted. When she was situated, he place the tray of soup and medicine, on her lap and sat down beside her.

As she sipped her soup, she occasionally glancing over at the paper he was reading. Once she was done with her light meal she placed the tray on the bed beside her. She sat there quietly for a while before tapping Law's elbow. He dutifully obeyed her silent request and held up his arm. As she leaned into him, her hand snaked up his shirt, she clenched ahold of it.

He knew this move very well. She only did it when she was feeling scared or venerable and really needed his full attention. He laid the paper down and wrapped her in a secure embrace. She trembled and as she spoke her voice cracked. "Don't _ever_ leave me like that again. I don't think I could…"

"Shh," Law mumbled into her hair as they clung to each other. "I'm here, love. I won't do it again. I promise."

…

 **Author's Notes: Well…*Ahem*….Ah Law's finally home. Neo will be happy again.**

 **Mei: Hi! Welcome back! :) Hope your exams went well. They can be a pain.**

 **sarge1130: Hi and Welcome back too! :) And you're right. It won't follow the Zou arc. I don't know much about that yet. :/ I'm working on getting the manga. Though it might be fun to one day do a rewrite and follow along with the actual One Piece story line. But for now I shall continued with this one. ^.^ We have a long way to go.**


	5. Paradise P1

Paradise

Part One

Neo smiled like child as she opened the fridge. She scanned the items inside until she found what she was looking for: sweet pickles. She grabbed the jar and closed the fridge door with her hip. She bit into the sweet and tangy treat as she began to walk through the sub, taking the jar with her. "Come on. Just ask."

"You ask."

"She's closest to you."

"Yeah, you two are like siblings."

"She's like that with all of us," Neo blinked several times when she heard Penguin arguing with the rest of the crew.

"True," Shachi pointed out. "But you're still closer to her. You are like her best friend and brother rolled into one. Besides you want to go as well. So just ask her already."

Neo heard Penguin let out a frustrated growl as she walked into the rec. room. "Ask me what?"

The boys jumped when she made her presence known. She smiled as they turned their guilty eyes to her. Shachi adjusted his hat before speaking. "Penguin has something he wants to ask you."

"Hey!" Penguin protested, but the rest of the crew bolted from the room, most likely scattering to the farthest reaches of the sub. Actually she knew better than that. Sure the boys would scatter, but they'd quickly return to listen in on their conversation. She walked over to the remaining man in the room. He was sitting at the table with a map laying on it.

She gazed curiously at the map while munching on a pickle. There was a particular island circled, several times, in bright red ink. She flicked her wings then brought her eyes up to her best friend and raised an eyebrow. "Penguin, what do the boys want you to ask me?"

Penguin shifted under her knowing smile. "They want me to ask you to ask the captain if we could take a break at Purlieu Island. It's a resort island..."

"With lots of pretty women," Neo finished for him with a giggle. Penguin blushed and tried to suppress a grin. "And you all know I can get him to say yes without the fear of body parts being separated."

"You have many advantages to being his love," Penguin finally returned his eyes to her, or he would have if not for his hat. "It's not just for us. It's for you and the captain as well. You were sick a few weeks ago. And it's been a long time since we've all had a real break. I know he could use one as well, even though he won't admit it. You know how he is."

Neo hummed as she thought about Penguin's words and nibbled on her pickle. Her sickness only lasted a few days thanks to Law's pampering her until she got better. But that still didn't stop Law from worrying and fretting over her. After she got over whatever bug she had caught she spent the next three days constantly clinging to Law, showering each other with kisses. He never objected. He carried her around even amongst the crews teasing. Neither of them noticed much as they were lost in their own little world of each other.

Penguin was right. Law hasn't taken a break since he had returned, almost a month ago, and has been quiet some time since they all took a break from their pirate lives before that. "I'll ask."

"Really?" Before she could answer the crew cheered. Penguin and Neo giggled and shook their heads.

"Of course I'll ask," She leaned down and pecked his cheek.

"W-What was that for?" Penguin blushed again and scratched his cheek.

"I never thanked you," Neo said softly.

"For what?"

"You saved me, Penguin. When Law wasn't here, you kept me grounded. And kept my sanity in tact. If it wasn't for you and the crew, I wouldn't have survived being away from him."

"I'd do anything for you. We all would," Penguin stood up and put his arms around her. "We very well couldn't let our favorite girl harm herself before her love came back to her."

"That and Law would have murdered you all," Neo said and they both busted up laughing. She pecked his cheek again before leaving the room. She happily rolled her eyes when the other crew members tried to act like they weren't listening to her conversation with Penguin. She chuckled as she padded down the halls of the sub. She loved her crew and their silly antics.

When she got to their room, her target was sitting at his desk like he had been all day. She pushed the door closed with her foot before walking over to him. She wasn't sure if he knew she had entered their room, but when he scooted his chair back from the desk, she knew. He did know she was there and he wanted her close.

She plucked herself another pickle out of the jar before placing it down on the desk. She then placed herself in his lap. She put the pickle in her mouth to take another bite. Law caught her chin in his fingers and turned her to look at him. He took a bite of the pickle, brushing their lips together. "Pickles again, huh?"

"I can't help that I love pickles. It's the vinegar," She grinned sheepishly as she chewed up her pickle and swallowed it. A blush crept on her cheeks when Law took her vinegar and salt flavor fingers and licked them clean. He then licked the flavor off her lips and kissed them.

"Don't eat to many now. I don't want you getting sick again," He ordered then went back to writing, placing his hand on her thigh and rubbed his fingers on her skin.

"You've been working far to hard, you know?" Neo commented as she glanced at what Law was writing. "You're making me jealous, spending all this time working when you could be entertaining me."

Law chuckled as he ran his hand over her skin, dragging his fingers under the hem her shorts. He gave her leg a squeeze. "Being a doctor is a lot of work."

"True. What's also true is even the brilliant Surgeon of Death needs a break once in a while," Neo leaned into him, pressing her lips right to his tender spot on his neck. She smiled when she felt his breath hitch in his chest. She kissed him again. "It's been such a long time since we've done so."

Law grunted and tried to focus. It wouldn't work considering she kept working his tender spot with her lips. She placed her hand on his neck before slipped it up to his wild mane. He loved it when she fiddled with this hair. She could put him in a trance like state if she did it long enough.

A pleasurable moan slipped past his lips without his permission. "Hn...That's cheating."

"Come on, love," Neo purred as she continued to work his neck and hair. "I know you already know I want something."

"And I know the crew put you up to it," Law grumbled at the thought of the crew using _his love_ to get what _they_ _wanted_.

She chuckled. Not much escaped him, ever. She nuzzled her nose behind his ear. "Then just say yes. You know you want a break too. It's Purlieu Island. I've never been to a resort before. It sounds like fun. Besides, I have this new _bikini_ I know you'd just love to see me in. And the crew did a really good job keeping me safe, even from myself, while you were gone. They deserve this. _We_ deserve this."

Law tensed. She knew she had him. And he knew he'd spend several years, if not his entire lifetime, making up for leaving her behind like he did, even though she's already forgiven him for it. He still had plenty of guilt rattling around inside him over that. And it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. She squealed with excitement and kissed his cheek. "You are the best, my love!"

Before she could get off of him, he locked his arm around her, keeping her on his lap. "There is _one_ condition to going there."

She turned to him and blinked. He took her chin in his fingers and pulled her close. He got that dark, but playful tone in his voice. It was the tone he reserved only for her, usually when got possessive of her. " _You_ are _forbidden_ from _ever_ wearing a _bikini_ in public. It's already bad enough having to deal with other men looking at you when you're fully clothed. You know I can barely tolerate you wearing one of _those_ around the crew. I wouldn't be able to keep myself from killing if strange men were to ever looked at you with that much skin showing. Your body belongs to _me_. Now, about you feeling jealous..."

Neo blushed and smiled as Law pulled her into a deep kiss. It was a kiss that was going to delay her good news to the crew for quiet a while, not that she was going to complain about it. She loved him. She loved how possessive he was of her. And she didn't mind him one bit showing that in whatever way he felt like.

…

"I'm ready," Neo proclaimed as she stepped out of the bathroom wearing a black one piece swimsuit, with a tiny yellow logo of their jolly roger near her left hip, a light blue wrap tided at her hips and a bag with a transponder snail, towels and sunscreen shoved inside. She decided against torturing Law with a bikini and opted for her favorite one piece suit instead. She'd save the new bikini for another day. This was her first time at a resort and she didn't want murder to dampen her experience. She frowned when she saw he wasn't. "Law…"

"Don't make that face," He said as he walked over to her. He cupped her face in his hands and pressed their foreheads together. "I don't like it."

"But you said…"

"I know. I just have something I need to take care of first," Neo let out a puff of air. This wasn't how their vacation was supposed to be. They were already docked at Purlieu. The crew had been so excited about the news Neo gave them, after Law finally released her, that they were dressed and ready to go long before they even arrived at the island. She knew they had run off the second Law gave them permission to do so.

The island was a fairly big one so they all had transponder snails. It was Penguin who set them all up like that. He knew full well that she didn't like not knowing where her family was. So he gave them all a transponder snail and they all agreed to check in occasionally with her if they didn't happen to run into her in person.

Neo dropped her eyes to his chest and glared. He pulled her into his arms. "Silly girl, don't be like this. All I need is thirty minutes then I'll be right back by your side."

She slid her arms around his torso. " _Just_ thirty minutes?"

"Just thirty minutes."

She pulled back just enough to look at him. She kneaded her eyebrows. "Promise?"

"Promise," He nodded.

"Fine," She huffed, flicking her wings in agitation. "But if you're not there in thirty minutes it's going to be a long time before you get anymore love from me."

He chuckled and tightened his hold on her. "Now, you know better than to threaten me."

"Threaten?" She innocently fluttered her eyelashes at him. "It's not a threat, it's motivation."

"Then you know I'll be there," Law pecked her lips and released her. This defiantly wasn't what she wanted, but Law promised to be there. She knew he would never break a promise to her. So she had no other choice but to leave without him. "Don't forget to hide your wings."

"I won't," Neo waved to him as she stepped out of their room. As she walked down the hall she banished her wings from her back. Law didn't like the thought of having to explain to anyone why she had wings. He wanted to keep that, and her crystals, a secret if he could. One maniac too many has already tried to take her from him because of them. So if she didn't need them she wasn't to show them.

"Ready to go?"

"Hm?" When Neo reached the top deck she was surprised to see Penguin standing there. He was dressed in swimming shorts, his hat and a towel draped lazily over his shoulder. He was clearly heading towards the pool, the same place Neo was going. "I thought you all already left."

"Yeah, the others are long gone," Penguin cast a glance over his shoulder in the direction his crew mates went. He turned back to her with a smile. "I wanted to wait for you. Makes sense considering we're heading to the same place."

"I guess so," Neo thought about it then nodded. "Let's go then."

Penguin nodded as well before climbing down the ladder. He liked going down first. If Neo were to accidentally fall he would be able to catch her then, despite the fact she had wings and control over the wind. Sometimes she wondered which worried more about her, Law or Penguin. Soon she was on the ground with him. She slipped her arm around his and the two headed off.

As they walked, roller coasters in the distance caught her eyes. "I didn't know they had an amusement park here."

"Yup. Originally this was nothing but a resort island that catered to adults. Over time it changed when parents started to bring their kids with them. Now this place has all sorts of entertainment. On the other side of that large mountain over there is a ski lodge. This is a duel climate island. I bet Bepo's there right now. Guests don't even have to book a room to stay here. If they prefer they can sleep in their ship. And they don't mind pirates, as long as they don't cause too much trouble."

"Hm," Neo hummed as she looked at the roller coasters. "I wonder if I could convince Law to take me there."

"You've never been to one, right?"

"Yeah. It would be nice to at least look it over."

"Since I'm still alive after that bikini stunt we pulled, I'm positive you can persuade him to do anything you want," The two chuckled. Soon they reached their destination. Several other guests were already at the pool, but it wasn't crowded. Penguin pushed together two of the pool lounger chairs, that was destined to be hers and Law's. Neo gave him her thanks as he pulled another one closer for himself. She spread their towels over the chairs, propped hers up in a sitting position then sat down. "Guess I'm going to do a few laps in the pool. Unless there's something you need."

"I'm good. But you need sunscreen, mister," She waved the bottle.

"Yes, ma'am," Penguin chuckled. He sat down and applied some to his skin. When he was about done, Neo reached over and rubbed in some on his face that he missed. He checked with her once more. When she didn't need anything else he dove off into the pool.

Neo took the sunscreen and layered herself up then leaned back against the chair to take in the sun's rays. After a few minutes she opened her eyes and scanned for her friend. When she found him, she chuckled. He was chatting it up with a pretty black haired girl wearing a red halter top style swimming suit. They were sitting on tall stools by a tall round table on the other side of the pool.

She waved to him when he looked over to check on her. She chuckled again when the girl took that gesture the wrong way. Penguin panicked and waved his hands frantically. No doubt he was telling her that Neo was his best friend, and most likely his sister since that described their relationship better, and the wife of his captain. Eventually the girl's expression lightened up and she smiled.

Neo closed her eyes once again. A little while later a shadow fell over her. Before she even opened her eyes, she knew it wasn't Law. It was some other guy with shaggy dark brown hair and matching eyes. He worn a green and white striped swim trunks and red sunglasses stuck in his hair. "Hey, babe."

Neo eyed him questioningly.

"I saw you sitting over here all alone. Would you like some company?"

"I'm not alone. My brother is here," Neo replied flatly. "My _husband_ will be here any minute. And neither one of them will like you bothering me."

"Husband?" He laughed like she made a joke. She raised an eyebrow at him. He plopped down besides her in the chair she reserved for Law. "If you did have a husband he'd be here, right? Besides, you're far too beautiful to be tied down to one man. You're definitely single."

"I'm not single," She flashed him Law's ring. "I told you, I'm married. Please, leave me alone."

"Babe, that's just a little ol' ring. Even _if_ it does mean you are married, which I doubt, that doesn't have to stop us from having some _fun_ ," The guy said suggestively as he placed drug his hand over her thigh. Her body jerked at his touch. Before she could retaliate the man flew away from her. She looked up to find a very angry Law holding onto the man's neck with a dark storm raging in his eyes.

"She said to leave her alone," Law hissed as his hold on the man's neck got tighter.

"Wo da 'eck 're _you_?" The man choked out as he tried to breath. He clawed fruitlessly at Law's hand.

"Her _husband_ ," Law replied darkly as he began to raise his free hand. Neo knew what was coming next. She knew Law won't hesitate to kill for her. Her eyes scanned over the other guests. They were watching tensely to see what would happen.

"Calm down, Law. He obviously doesn't know any better," She spoke softly. He still didn't take his eyes off his prey or release him. "Don't let his ill manners ruin our time together. You're here for _me_ not him. Just let him go."

There were several tense seconds before he did as she said. Before letting the man go, Law gave him the only warning he needed to stay away. "You better thank her for sparing your life. If it was my decision you would be dead right now. I don't _ever_ want to see you near her again. And don't even _think_ about touching her. Understand?"

"Yes," He squeaked. When Law released him, he bowed and apologized before dashing off in a cloud of smoke.

Law kept his eyes on the man's retreating back. Neo looked over at Penguin. He was on his feet, glaring in the same direction Law was. He had seen the entire thing. No doubt he was going to come to her aid if Law hadn't appeared. He eventually looked at her. She smiled and waved at him to let him know she was fine. He returned the gestures before returning his attention to his lady companion.

"Are you all right? Did he hurt you?" Law asked as he sat down, facing her. His eyes ran over her body, multiple times.

"I'm fine, love," She replied as she brushed her hair over her shoulders. She paused for a few seconds before adding in a low voice. "He touched me."

"I know," Law growled as he placed his hand on her thigh. He rubbed his hand over her skin as if he was erasing the other guy's touch.

"Thank you for not killing him."

"Only because that's what you wanted," As he continued to rub her skin and needlessly checked for injuries, her eyes wondered over the other guests again. Most of them had returned to their own business, but for three women. They were huddled together at a table with a large umbrella stuck in the middle of it. They were giggling and looking over at them, at Law.

She frowned and narrowed her eyebrows at them. "You have a fan club."

When he didn't say anything she pulled her eyes back to him. He was looking intently at her. He hadn't even bothered to look at the three women she had mentioned. Without a word, he leaned in and kissed her deeply. She blushed bright red at his sudden outburst of public affection and froze in place for a while before finally being able to kiss him back.

Typically when in public all he would do is hold her hand, put his arm around her waist or shoulders. He's never openly kissed her. He showed more affection to her when only the crew was around, but most of his affections towards her was always done when they were alone.

"There," He said after breaking the kiss. "Now they're jealous of you."

She couldn't stop her eyes from wondering back over to the three women who were admiring her Law. He was right. They couldn't hide the fact that they were jealous that he was already taken. That made her smile. He chuckled and guided her by her chin so she would look at him again. He pecked her lips. "Be a good girl and keep your attention on me from now on. I believe I need you to put sunscreen on me."

She nodded then reached for the bottle of sunscreen as Law laid down on his stomach. She rubbed the white lotion over his current exposed skin. When she was done, he flipped over to let her get his front side. She was rubbing the lotion into his chest when something occurred to her.

She stared at her white palm before looking at him. His eyes were open, intently watching her. His eyes were also filled with a mischievous sparkle. She realized he had ordered her to put sunscreen on him for a specific reason instead of doing it himself. This was just another way of showing those who were looking that he belonged to her and _only_ her.

"Is something the matter, love?" He asked, knowing full well she'd just realized what he had done. She smiled and shook her head. Boy did she love this man. He knew how to make her feel all the right emotions at all the right times.

…

 **Author's Notes: Yeah, now we get some fun chapters where Neo is happy instead of sad.**

 **PuddyKatz: I don't think getting pregnant happens 'that' fast or the symptoms anyway. Doesn't it take days or weeks after *ahem* for signs to show? Or can you have symptoms the day after? :/ I really have no clue. The internet says some women have said they have had symptoms the day after, but I wouldn't know for sure. I've never been pregnant and don't plan on every being so. My kids are furry and four legged.**

 **Besides, she's practically gotten zero sleep since her nightmares started. That's two plus weeks of fighting against sleeping. That will make anyone sick. ^.^**


	6. Paradise P2

Paradise

Part Two

"Where are we going?" Neo questioned. They had just got done eating supper with the crew at one of the local restaurants a little while ago. Law had his fingers lazily intertwined with hers and was leading her through the resort halls.

"You'll see," He replied with a sideways glance. She went quiet after that. It would do no good to question him any farther. Soon they came to a door with a red heart shaped plate on it. Neo tilted her head as she read the curly writing on the heart: Honeymoon Suit.

Law pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Without a word, he swept her into his arms and carried her inside. He laid her down on the heart shaped bed then walked back over to the door, closed and locked it. Neo, confused, propped up on her elbows and looked around the room. Just about everything was heart shaped or had heart shaped patterns on them. The most confusing thing was a couple of their bags were sit on the floor. "What's going on?"

Law had returned to the bed. He slipped out of his shoes before he crawled onto it. He straddled over her and pressed his finger to her forehead, pushing her down onto the bed. He then placed his hands on each side of her head. Staring down at her, he smiled softly. "We're going to stay here while on this island."

"Seriously?" He nodded. "But this has got to cost a small fortune. Law, we can't jus-"

He silenced her with his lips. She instantly melted into it. He broke the kiss and nuzzled his nose against hers. "Yes, we can. I'm doing this for you, because I want to. And while we're here I'll do whatever it is you want…like go to the amusement park."

He pushed up on his hands so he could read her reaction. She blinked in disbelief. "This is why you wanted thirty minutes before joining me at the pool. And I get the sneaky suspicion that Penguin had _something_ to do with this."

Law rubbed his neck, adverting his eyes from her. "Yeah, well, you know I'm not the greatest at this kind of stuff. And I know I don't often tell you that I…that I love you and…"

"Law," Neo took his face in her hands. She gently turned him so he would look at her again. "You don't have to constantly tell me through your words that you love me. Occasionally, when _you_ feel like it is just fine. You already tell me how you feel in so many ways through your actions, like you did at the pool with that guy and especially with those women. I love that you _show_ me how you feel, that's just _your_ way of telling me."

Law gave her a content smile. She reached for his hat and placed it on the bed then returned her hands to his hair. "I don't think I've ever told you this…but I'm very glad and grateful that you saved me. I never thought that I would ever actually be happy."

"I'm glad I saved you too," Law said before leaning down to nibble on her neck. "And I'm glad that I've made you happy."

She hummed and tensed while he worked her neck. After a few minutes she tugged lightly on his hair. Knowing her signal he lifted up and captured her lips with his.

…

It was all Neo could do not to not reveal her wings and fly around the amusement park. And she probably would have if it weren't for Law holding her hand, keeping her grounded. There were just so many new things that excited her. She had no clue what she wanted to do first. Law chuckled at her childlike enthusiasm as her attention darted everywhere. "Maybe some rides first?"

Neo's eyes landed on one of the largest roller coasters on the island. She watched it as it slowly pulled up to the top then plunged almost straight down. "Hm, maybe not."

"We can skip those kind of rides," Law informed her. "I don't want you to get sick."

"Okay," She nodded in agreement. She didn't want to get sick and miss all this either.

"I know something you should try before anything else," Law said as he led her over to one of the food venders. She watched him as he bought pink fluff on a stick. He pinched off a piece of the fluff and brought it to her lips. "Here."

Without question she parted her lips and allowed him to place it in her mouth. Her eyes widened as a smile spread across her face. "It disappeared! And it's so sweet!"

"It's cotton candy," Law nodded. The two staring walking again as they ate their sweet treat. At one point Neo squealed with excitement.

"It looks just like Bepo!" Neo giggled. Law followed her pointed finger to a large stuffed white bear waiting to be won at one of the games.

"Would you like it?" Law asked.

"Aren't these games rigged?" Neo questioned as she remembered a couple other guests complaining about the games being rigged. Law just tossed her a devilish smile over his shoulder as he walked over to the game. She wondered what he was up to as she followed him over to it. As she watched him play the game she eventually understood what his smile meant. He used his devil fruit powers to win the bear.

"Well, we have a winner!" The game worker shouted. Even though the man's voice rang out cheery like, it was still obvious that he was perplexed at how Law had actually won. Neo suppressed a squeal when Law handed her the large bear, both rushing away from the game.

"I can't believe you did that!" Neo laughed once they were far enough away from the game and the still perplexed worker. Law just chuckled and shrugged.

Soon after that the two ran into Bepo and Shachi. Shachi waved and called to them. "Hey!"

"Shachi! Bepo!" Neo waved back as the boys ran over to them.

"Cute bear, Neo. Did the captain win it for you?" Shachi inquired.

"Something like that," Neo replied while shooting Law a look. He just smirked in return.

"Let me take it back to the sub," Shachi said as he reached for the bear.

"Are you sure?" Neo asked.

"Of course," Shachi nodded while taking the bear from her. "No point in you carrying this thing around all day."

"Thanks, Shachi," Neo said. He smiled and nodded.

"Hey, Bepo, I didn't know you had a twin," Shachi said as he held up the stuffed animal. "Though I think it might be cuter than you."

Bepo growled at him. Neo chuckled as she reached up for Bepo's fuzzy cheeks. "No way a stuff animal is cuter than the real thing."

Bepo blushed and leaned down so she could reach his cheeks easier. He lifted his head and gave her a bewildered look. "What is it, Bepo?"

"You smell different," He replied while looking at her.

"What do you mean?" Neo cocked her head with a curious look in her eyes.

"I'm not sure. You just smell different," Bepo replied. He looked over to Law who was raising an eyebrow at him.

"It's just all the people and food here messing with her scent and your nose," Shachi said. "She's still Neo."

"I guess your right. There are a lot of new smell here," Bepo straighten up. Soon after that the two left to take the stuff bear back to the sub. Neo and Law continued on their own journey around the amusement park. They went on a few of the slower rides, saw a couple shows, wondered through some of the stores until their empty stomachs beckoned for them to find some lunch.

Neo had her arms crossed over the table and her head laying on them, sleeping when Law returned to their table with their food. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. She yawned as she sat up. "If you're tired we can return to the room."

"No way. We've just been walking a lot," Neo stretched out her arms. She grabbed her a fry as Law sat down and studied her. She slipped her feet out of her sandals, which Law suggested she wear that morning, and placed her legs over his lap. He placed his hand on her leg and brushed his thumb over her jeans. "Other than these shoes killing my feet, I'm fine."

He slowly nodded before turning some of his attention to their meal while keeping most of his attention on her. After they finished eating Law suggested they sit there for a little while longer and rest. Neo didn't object as Law started rubbing her aching feet. While they were discussing what they should do next, Neo felt a tug on her shirt. She look down to find a toddler staring up at her. "Well, hello there."

"A child?" Law inquired as he looked at the kid.

"Aren't you a cutie," Neo giggled. "Where's your mommy, little one?"

"No," The kid chirped and tugged on her shirt again.

Neo and Law looked around. No one appeared to be missing a child. Neo brought her attention back to the kid when he started to climb upon her lap. When he finally made it on her lap he stared up at her with big blue eyes. "Do you think he wondered away from his parents?"

"Probably," Law said as he continued to look around. When he stood up Neo pulled her legs back and place her feet on top of her sandals. "I'll ask a park worker to call security and give the kid over to them. They're probably out looking for him."

Neo nodded before he walked away. When he returned a park worker came with him. She bend over to fawn over the kid. "Aren't you such a little cutie. Your parents must be so worried about you. I'll take him from here. Security will be here in just a few minutes. Got to get you back to your parents, little one."

But when she reached for the kid the kid screeched and grabbed onto Neo. "No!"

"It's okay," Neo told the kid as she tried to hand him over to the worker. Again the kid screamed and held tighter onto her.

"Well, this isn't good," The woman placed a hand on her cheek. "Would you folks mind staying here? The security coming to get him won't be long."

"Uh, Law?" Neo asked.

"It's fine," Law said as he sat back down.

"Thanks so much," The woman said before leaving. "Don't want to upset this little guy again."

"So, um, what now?" Neo asked. This was the first time she ever held a baby and had no clue what she was supposed to do. "What do I do?"

"Just hold him, talk to him, play with him. He seems to have taken a liking to you."

"Why?" Neo blinked at the kid. He just continued to stare up at her.

"Who knows? He's just a baby. Kids are like that sometimes," Law leaned back in his chair. He tilted his head as he watched her look down at the kid in her lap. The two just continued to stare at each other, like they were trying to figure each other out.

"So, how old do you think he is?" Neo question, not taking her eyes off him.

"Considering he managed to get this far alone and he knows the word no, he's at least fifteen months."

"How much do you know about babies?"

"I know a little bit," Law shrugged even though she never raised her eyes to him. A few minutes later two men dressed in security uniforms walked over to them.

"Is it him?" One of them asked.

"Yup," The other one was looking at a picture. "It's him. Thank you folks for keeping an eye on the kid. He wondered away from his parents. They've been so worried about him."

"Let's get you back to your mommy," The first security guy said as he reached for the kid. This only resulted in the boy screaming and grabbing onto Neo again. Neo blinked in confusion and looked over at Law. He was obviously confused as well and shrugged again. The security guards tried again to take the kid from Neo. He was refusing to. "Well, this isn't good. What now? The kids parents are already waiting at the station."

"If you two don't mind riding with us over to the station? We really don't want to upset the kid," The second security guy asked. Law agreed when Neo gave him a questioning look. They stood up with the two men and followed them to their vehicle. On the ride over, the kid stood up in Neo's lap and with quick hands snatched Law's hat off his head.

Law growled under his breath when the kid started to chew on it. Before anyone could say anything the kid made a sour face and tossed the hat back at Law. Neo laughed. "I think he likes you."

Law grumbled while placing his hat back where it should be. The vehicle pulled to a stop. As they got out they heard a woman's cries. "My baby!"

"He's all right, ma'am," One of the security guards informed her as she and her husband ran up to them. The husband was trying to corral five other rambunctious kids, one a teenage girl, as they moved over to them. The woman reached them first and plucked her baby from Neo's arms. "These nice folks found him and took good care of him."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" The woman cried as she held her baby to her chest. "I was so scared! You naughty boy!"

"Yes, thank you," The man said while trying to hold on to two of the kids in his arms. Two of the older kids, twin boys, suddenly grabbed onto Law's legs. Neo bit her bottom lip, to try and keep from smiling, when Law glared down at the boys.

"Look at his pants! They're cool!" The twins exclaimed with laughter. "I want a pair!"

"Boys! Release him at once!" The father reprimanded. The boys pouted but did as they were told.

"I'll take the guy in them," The teenage girl purred. Neo had to choke back a laugh at Law's distraught face when the girl said that and grabbed onto his arm, batting her young eyelashes at the pirate.

Neo swallowed her laughter and wrapped her arms around Law's kid free arm. She really wasn't sure who she was saving here, Law or the girl. "Sorry, but he's taken."

The girl frowned when she looked at Neo. Neo wondered if the girl was going to release Law. She did and rejoined her father's side.

"Well, thanks again for your help. Sorry about the trouble," One of the security guys said. "Would you like a lift back to the restaurant?"

"Or you could come home with me," The girl offered while smiling at Law.

"No thanks. We'll walk," Law's voice was almost panicked when the girl spoke to him again. With Neo's arms still around his, they took off before anyone else could say anything. Neo couldn't hold back her laughter anymore. "Very funny."

"I'm sorry. It was just the look on your face when that girl said that and grabbed you," Neo laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't cut her into pieces or warp her out into the middle of the ocean. The boys are going to love this."

"You wouldn't," Law shot her a slightly panicked expression. Neo released her arms from his and took a few steps in front of him. She put her hands behind her back and smiled mischievously at him while walking backwards. "Neo, don't you dare."

"I'm telling," Neo chirped.

"Neo," Law reached for her, but she dodged him.

"Now let's see if I can find them," Neo playfully sang out as she took off.

"Neo!" Law cried as he chased after her.

…

Law yawned after he finished brushing his teeth. It had been a long day and he was ready for bed. He set his toothbrush down then stepped out of the bathroom. The only light that lit up the room was one of the lamps near the bed where Neo was already laying.

He walked over to the bed and looked down at her while chuckling. She was wearing his night shirt that he had laid out for himself. He laid down, propped up on his elbow and watched her for a while. He found it no surprise that she was already out. She had such a long and exciting day.

And despite teasing Law about it, she never did tell the crew what the girl had said and did to him. She only informed the boys about the baby. The crew, in turn, told them about their day. At one point Shachi started teasing Bepo about his stuffed _twin_ back on the sub again.

Neo shifted in her sleep, causing some of her hair to fall in her face. Law reached over and brushed it away then stroked her cheek with his thumb. A light smile formed on her lips from his touch. He then leaned down and snuggled against her cheek while whispering to her. "Sleep well, my love."

He reached over and turned off the light before pulling the cover up and laying down beside her.

…

 **Author's Notes: Thanks all for the reviews. I love reading them. Oh, and I couldn't think of an amusement park game that would work with Law's powers. So I'll leave that up to you all and your imaginations.  
**

 **PuddyKatz & tentenbaby: I shall neither confirm nor deny that possibility. ^.^ hee hee. Unless you really want a spoiler. I already PMed you PuddyKatz.  
**

 **sarge1130: Yup, Neo has grown up a lot.**


	7. Paradise P3

Paradise

Part Three

Law smiled as he relaxed against a tree with his arms crossed. He was watching Neo putting the finishing touches on her snowman, technically snow 'bear', and enjoying her childlike enjoyment of playing in the snow. He had helped her with the bottom and middle parts of the snow 'bear'. She wanted to make the biggest snowman that she could, without the use of her magic.

Now she was rounding smaller snowballs for the ears of her snow 'bear'. She ran her hands over the ears a few more times before stepping back from her master piece. She placed her hands on her hips as she admired her work. "Whaddya think? Not bad for my first time, huh?"

"It looks great," Law said as he walked over to her. He put his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek, his goatee tickling her skin making her giggle. "Bepo inspired?"

"He makes a great snowman, don't ya think?" Neo asked as she crossed her arms over his. She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled.

"If you're done here, there's something I'd like for you to try while we have the opportunity," Law said.

"And what would that be?" Neo inquired.

"You'll see," Law smirked as he started to lead her away from her snow bear.

…

"You can't be serious," Neo exclaimed as gripped her hands onto the wooden bench she was sitting on. "I don't even like regular shoes and you want me to go out there on ice on thin blades that look like they could snap in half with the tiniest little bump?"

She looked down at the bladed white shoes she was wearing then out to the frozen pond. People were gathered in several spots. Some were obviously experts with skating, gliding carefree across the ice, doing simple jumps or spins. While some were clumsily slipping all over the place, holding onto someone who knew what they were doing or just standing around talking. She looked back down to her feet. She moved her legs a bit, dragging the blades on the ice.

"You'll be fine," Law replied as he stood up on his own blades. He slid effortlessly in front of her and held out his hands. He smirked at her. "You're with me after all."

Neo huffed with a smile before placing her hands in his. He helped her to her feet with ease. She let out a squeak of surprise when her the ice decided it wanted her feet to go different ways. Law chuckled at her uncertainty and tighten his hold on her. "You're fine, love."

"Tell me, how is it you know how to do this when you spend your life on a sub?" Neo questioned as she glided along with Law.

"I wasn't always on a sub, remember? And there are still some things you don't know about me yet," Law said casually.

"True," Neo nodded as she obeyed his instructions on what to do and not do. "Still, I never would have pictured you as the type to do something like this."

"I guess I'm just full of surprises," Law chuckled when Neo slipped again then grabbed onto him with a death grip. She puffed out her cheeks at him.

After a while Neo began to get the hang of being on the thin blades. So much to the point she was only holding onto one of Law's hands. They were gliding along just find until a couple kids came rushing past them, causing Neo to loose her balance. When Law went to catch her another kid skated past him and caused both of them to fall.

He grabbed her. Pressing her to his chest so he would be the one to take the hit. "Are you all right?"

"Me?! You're the one who hit the ice!" Neo said as she looked him over with worry in her eyes.

"I'm fine, love," Law gave her a gentle squeeze. "You know I've been hit harder than that."

"Yeah, I know," Neo sighed as she crawled off of him. "Still I don't like it that you hit the ice like that. So, if you're done torturing me, can we please take these death traps off now?"

"Of course," Law chuckled. He got up then helped her up. He took her hand and led her back over to the bench. Neo sat down and ripped the things off her feet. She stretched out and wiggled her feet before shoving them into her snow boots.

"Still shoes, but that's much better," Neo smiled. "You own me a foot rub later."

"Of course. What would you like to do now, love?" Law asked as he held out his hand for hers. She took it and stood up.

"How about we go for a walk?" Neo hummed as she looked around. Law nodded then headed towards a near by trail.

…

Neo adjusted her scarf then wrapped her arms back around Law's. He had his hands in his pockets as they strolled along the snowy path, occasionally returning a greeting when others on the path greeted them. Eventually they became the only two walking on the path, the woods became quiet. Neo perked up. "What is it?"

"Bepo, Shachi and Penguin," Neo giggled as the elements alerted her to their locations. "They're following us with snowballs in hands."

"Ambush, huh?" Law shot her a mischievous grin. Understanding his meaning, she returned it with one of her own. "Tell me when they're about to throw them."

Neo waited until she felt them winding up their throws. "Now."

At the right moment, Law warped them away from their current location. Shachi growled as he and the other two stepped out from their hiding spots. "That's cheating, Captain."

"Then you're really gonna love this," Neo summoned her wind crystals and blew a wave of snow at them. The boys screeched and dodged.

"You're gonna pay for that, Neo!" Penguin laughed as he dodged behind a tree. He formed a couple of snowballs then jumped back out. As he ran he threw them at her.

"Oh? You're really going to challenge _me_ with a snowball fight?" Neo easily used her winds to stop the on coming snowballs. Her senses kicked in. She spun around to capture more snowballs that Bepo and Shachi had thrown at her. She shot them back at the guys then ran after them as she made snowballs of her own using her crystals. "Game on, boys!"

Law chuckled humorously as he crossed his arms and leaned back against a tree. He watched them run around like children. Sudden a barrage of snow balls were flying at him. He easily warped away the attack. When he looked to see who threw them, Neo pelted him on the chest with three snowballs. Neo tossed a snowball up in her hand and caught it. He growled playfully as he brushed off the snow and took after her. "You're going to pay for that."

"Uh huh," Neo tossed the remaining snowball in her hand at him. He easily caught it, but before he could do anything else several other snowballs, from multiple locations, hit him. "Nice."

"I don't believe that actually worked," Bepo blinked.

"I don't believe we actually did that," Shachi stated, slightly fearing for his life, while looking at a snowball in his hand then back over at his captain. Law was brushing off the snow and grumbling under his breath about it.

"Come on, Law. Have some fun," Neo called. She blinked when Law warped from his current location. She squeaked in surprise when Law appeared behind her and locked one arm around her waist.

"Oh, I will have fun, but that'll come later when you and me are alone. For now, you must be punished for hitting me," Law whispered into her ear. He didn't give her time to build on either of those sentiments. He shoved his hand under her scarf and crumbled the snowball he had caught down her shirt.

"Law!" Neo shrieked with a laugh as he let her go. She tried to shake the snow out of her clothes. "That's cold! In more ways than one!"

That developed into a full blow snowball war. It became a free for all. It also lead some other guests in joining their fight when rogue snowballs hit the unsuspecting passing by victims. The little snow war lasted for a couple hours. It was getting close to sunset when the majority of the people involved in the snow battle left.

"That was great," Penguin exclaimed as he dropped onto his back. Bepo was on his stomach panting as Shachi was sitting down while leaning back against his hands. They all were worn out. None of them had expected their little game to explode into a war like that.

Neo sneezed then shivered as she wrapped her arms around her cold, worn out body. Law walked over to her and put his arms around her, using his body heat to try and warm her up as he pressed her back into his chest. "The sun will be setting soon. Let's get you inside before you get sick again."

"There are some rest lodges near by," Penguin said as he pulled himself from the ground. "We can warm up there before heading back. They have hot drinks and food too."

Law nodded then with one arm still around Neo, they followed after Penguin. Shachi and Bepo had picked themselves up at that point and were tailing after them. After reaching the end of the trail, they came upon several logged buildings. Penguin led them into one.

In the middle of the room was a little cafe. Scattered through the room were several couches, cushioned chairs and rectangular coffee tables. A few other guests were peppered throughout the room, chatting and sipping on their preferred hot beverage. After getting their own drinks and food, if they wanted it, the small group of pirates wondered over to one of the lounge areas.

Bepo, declining drink and food, immediately dropped onto his stomach on the floor and fell asleep. Shachi and Penguin quickly downed their drinks and sandwiches then followed Bepo in sleeping. Law and Neo sipped at their drinks and shared some nachos at a more slower pace. Law was sitting with one arm on the armrest, mug in hand, and his other arm around Neo's waist, firmly tucking her into his side.

"Looks like our babies worn themselves out," Neo said affectionately as she scanned her eyes over the sleeping crew before her.

" _Babies?_ " Neo giggled at the bewilderment in Law's tone and expression. He scanned his eyes over the sleeping men. Never had he ever came close to view his crew, or grown men period, as babies. He tilted his head.

And yet, somehow in this moment, he was able to see them through her eyes. He still thought that calling them _babies_ was weird, but he understood where she was coming from. Bepo, Shachi and Penguin were the first, besides himself, crew mates she had come to know and love. So she viewed them a bit differently than the rest of the crew that has been added on since.

He grumbled and pressed his lips into her hair. "Woman, what have you done to me?"

She giggled as she tilted her head so she could look at him, bring their lips dangerously close together. "Nothing you don't love."

He chuckled as he closed what little distance there was between their lips. She gladly parted her lips for him when he dragged the tip of his tongue over her skin. She let a light moan escape her throat as he inspected every inch of her chocolate coated mouth. He broke the kiss and licked his lips. "You taste good with chocolate."

"Oh? Maybe I should start drinking it more then," She purred before taking another drink of her sweet coco then coaxed him into tasting her again.


	8. Paradise P4

Paradise

Part Four

Neo chuckled as she watched Law fumble with his tie. She couldn't believe he actually had bought a suit. She couldn't figure out when or where he'd bought the thing. He hasn't left her side since the pool incident so she was sure he didn't buy it here. And she's been in his closet countless times, even before they were married. Never had she seen anything resembling a suit. She was starting to wonder if Law had planned on doing something like this from the beginning.

Living on a sub never allowed much in the terms of dates. So they were going on their first official date. It was just another surprise Law had for her. That and their date was at a fancy restaurant that he got reservations for.

She walked over to him. "I was beginning to wonder if there was anything the infamous Surgeon of Death couldn't do. Here, let me do that."

He just huffed at her as she tied it for him. "And how do you even know how to do this?"

"Penguin taught me as a distraction when you were-" Neo cut her words off as a flash of guilt shot across Law's eyes. "Will you stop torturing yourself over that? It's done and over."

"Sorry," Law dropped his eyes to the dress she was wearing. He ran his eyes over it appraisingly. It was the black one she got when Nami and Robin took her shopping.

"Hey," Law brought his eyes back to hers when she finished with the tie. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "My love, I might not like what you did, but I do understand why you did it. You did what you knew was right. You did what you needed to do to protect me. So no more guilt, okay? You're here now. Be with me."

"I'm here, love," When Law pressed their foreheads together.

"No more guilt?"

"No more guilt."

"Good," Neo pecked his nose with her lips. "Because I really didn't want to have to punish you from my love until you got over it."

He chuckled while grabbing his jacket and put it on. The two left together and walked over to their destination. When they were seated the waiter immediately sat down a small tray of breadsticks. Law glared at them. Neo choked back her laughter. She rubbed her ankle on his leg to calm him down. He shot her a playful glare then turned a real glare back to the offensive food before turning to the waiter when he asked if they would like some wine.

Since Law like to keep his mind clear he never drank much of any kind of alcohol. Neo never drank and Law didn't want her too. So they declined. They looked over the menu and decided they'd each other something different. Law got a fish dish, that Neo couldn't pronounce even after Law and the waiter did with ease. Neo got a spaghetti dish. When their meals came they tried their own first then picked off the other's plate.

"I'll be right back," When they were about done she excused herself from the table. Law nodded and watched her carefully as she weaved through the tables.

After drying her hands, Neo cast a glance at herself in the mirror then left the bathroom. On her way back to Law someone grabbed her arm and spun her around. Her eyes met a man she's never met before, but he seemed familiar. He was tall, broad shouldered, his dark brown hair was cut short and he worn a striped business suit. Beside him was a tall, lanky woman with black hair, light green eyes and worn a revealing dress that didn't fit in with the classiness of the restaurant and was chewing gum in a very unladylike fashion. His dark brown eyes drilled into her. "So you're the one, huh?"

"Excuse me?" Neo asked.

"Yeah, that's her," The woman said as she looked Neo up and down. "I saw her myself at the pool. I don't understand your brother's taste in women. He always goes for the young ones. He needs a _real_ woman in his life. She looks like a child."

Neo raised an eyebrow at the woman. She wasn't sure if she should feel insulted or flattered by the woman saying she looked like a child. She looked back at the man. At least she knew now why he looked familiar. He did look like an older version of that guy who touched her at the pool. She tugged on her arm. "Release me at once."

He jerked her arm. "Don't take that tone with me, missy. Who do you think you are? Royalty?"

Neo smirked, if only he knew. She held up her free hand. She used her hand to shield a fire crystal. She used it to singe the man's hand. He yipped and released her. He smashed out the fire with his other hand then glared at her. He raised his hand to back slap her. "Brat! What did you just do?!"

Before he came close to hitting her, Law appeared and grabbed the man's wrist. He twisted the man's arm back to the point it broke. Neo flinched at the sound of the bone snapping. The man dropped to the ground in pain as the woman shrieked and ran away. The man picked himself up and pulled out a gun. "Y-You're going to pay for that! And for humiliating my brother!"

Women screamed and couples scrambled to get out of the restaurant. Law remained calm as he formed a Room and replaced the man's gun with a flower. The man blinked in confusion at his missing weapon. Law then grabbed the man by his neck. "If you _ever_ touch or raise your hand to her again I _will_ kill you."

The man didn't reply as he tried to get Law's hands off his neck. A waiter carefully moved over to them. The waiter tried to speak with confidence, but was obviously shaken from the skills Law was showing. "O-Okay, that's enough, this is a restaurant not some back alley bar. If you're going to fight then I'll have to ask you all to leave."

There were several intense seconds before Law released the man. He put his arm around Neo and guided her out of the building. "I apologize for that."

"Don't," Neo slipped her arm around his waist as they walked away from the restaurant. "Apparently being a jerk runs in their family."

Law chuckled and kissed into her hair. The two ended up going for a walk along the shore. Once they reached grass Neo took off her sandals and carried them by their heel straps in one hand while linking her other hand with Law's. Their walk was a peaceful one. They could still hear the sounds of the amusement park, people's voices and a band that played somewhere near by, but it was nice and calming.

Law pulled her closer to him and placed his hands on her hips. Neo dropped her shoes and put her arms around his neck. The two swayed with the music. "You look very handsome in a tux. Though I have to admit I'm missing you in your hat. I'm so use to you wearing it."

Law smirked as he warped his hat to his hand. Instead of putting it on himself he placed it on her head instead. He put his arm back around her. "I like my hat too. I like it even more on you."

The two went quiet again after that as they continued to sway to the music.

"I'm going to have to remember to thank Nami and Nico," Law said as his eyes wondered over her form.

"For what?" Neo questioned curiously.

"For making you buy that dress," Law said as he pulled her closer to him. "You looked incredible in it. It's starting to drive me crazy. How about we cut the night short, go back to the room and you let me help you get out of that thing?"

"Or," Neo fiddled with his hair with a smile. "We could just stay right here. It's such a nice night. Why spend it in a stuffy room?"

"Are you challenging me?" Law teased.

"Absolutely. What are you going to do about it, pirate boy? Are you gonna punish me?" Neo teased back.

"Yes, I am," Law chuckled as he leaned down to her lips. Neo tilted her head to meet his lips with her own.

There were a couple small explosions and a very familiar voice that interrupted them before their lips could connect. "Give us back our stuff!"

"Was that Luffy?" Neo asked as they stared at each other with slightly widened eyed. Law sighed and dropped his forehead to her shoulder. When he cursed Luffy under his breath, Neo giggled. She stroked his hair and neck like he was a puppy. "Oh, my poor baby."

"Straw Hat and his rotten timing," Law grumbled as he lifted his head from her shoulder. She pecked his lips before they both looked in the direction the ruckus was coming from. They watched as three boys came busting out of some trees shortly followed by Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat crew. One of the three boys was carrying a bag, while another one was carrying Nami's weather staff and the third was carrying one of Zoro's swords.

"Come back here!" Luffy shouted as he threw out his fist and tried to grab the boys, but the boys proved too quick and dodged his attempt.

"Ha ha! Losers!" One of the boys cried back over his shoulder.

"I can't believe these pirates are so pathetic," Another boy laughed.

"Their bounties must be wrong," The third one laughed as well. "How could they ha-Hey! What's going on?"

Neo summoned her wind crystals and used the wind to raise the three boys off the ground. The Straw Hats blinked in confusion when the boys lifted into the air. It was Sanji who spotted Neo and Law first. "Neo! Law!"

"Neo!" Nami cried as the two groups met each other at the three suspended boys.

"Hey, guys," Neo greeted them happily as Nami ran up and hugged her. She exchanged hugs with them all as Law stood placidly by. "What are you all doing here?"

"Unexpected ship repairs," Franky reported. Neo could only nod as she looked the cyborg's new body up and down. Law had told her about the change, but seeing it in person seemed a bit surreal.

"These two idiots were goofing around and punched a rather large hole in the ship. Franky didn't have enough supplies to fix it," Nami explained as she grabbed Luffy and Usopp's cheeks and pulled on them. "While docked, those three kids stole some of our stuff."

"And what are you two doing here? Are you on a date?" Robin calmly asked with a grin as she noticed the clothes her friends were wearing. "Did we interrupt?"

"We were," Neo nodded, casting a glance at Law. He wasn't happy about them being here, but he knew she hadn't seen their friends in some time. He nodded at her. "And no you didn't interrupt, not really. It was kind of already over before you even got here."

"Give me that!" Zoro growled as he grabbed his sword back.

"Thanks for the assistance, Neo," Sanji said as the group turned to the boys.

"Why in the world would you kids steal things from pirates when you have an entire island to entertain you?" Brook asked.

"You wouldn't think that if you lived here," One of the boys answered. "It's all the same and very boring after a while."

"We needed a new way to entertain ourselves," Another boy said.

"And robbing pirates was the best thing you could come up with?" Usopp asked.

"Captain!" The group then turned to Bepo, Shachi and Penguin when the three called out to them.

"Are you two all right?" Penguin asked once they were close enough. "We saw the commotion then saw you two over here."

"We're fine, Penguin," Neo answered.

"Straw Hats?" Shachi inquired and the reason was shared again.

"Hey, what's that?" Chopper asked as he pointed behind Law and Neo. The group turned to see what he was pointing at. There was some kind of floating blob hovering three feet off the ground. It was almost black in color with glowing blood red veins running through it.

Nothing else was said as they orb struck out right at Neo. Law grabbed her and jumped away from the attack. "Wings out, now!"

"Right," Neo summoned her wings as Law stepped in front of her. He ditched his jacket before warping his nodachi to him and immediately unsheathed it as his three crew mates and the Straw Hats stood for a fight. The boys cried out in a panic, she released them from her winds and they ran off.

Luffy charged at the blob. "Gum Gum Pistol!"

The blob easily dodged it. Zoro jumped at it and sliced right through, but it had no effect. It was like his blades just sliced through air. "Huh?"

"That can't be good," Sanji said as he tried to kick the thing. It just dodged him like it did Luffy.

"Defiantly not good," Usopp cried as his shots passed right through it as well.

"Neo, try your fire," Law ordered. She engulfed the orb in its own personal bonfire.

"Yes!" Usopp cheered, but he was cut short as the orb shot into the air and fired several shots back at them. Once it had the two crews dancing around to avoid it's attacks the orb itself went after Neo.

Neo took off into the air just before the thing smashed into the ground where she was standing. Law growled. "Room!"

"It's after Neo?!" Shachi asked in an alarmed tone.

"But why?" Penguin asked as the orb proved itself just as fast as Neo was. It was starting to catch up with her. She began to fly backwards and fired several attacks at it. She formed an ice cocoon around it and jammed several ice spike into it. She was hoping to stab the thing to death, but it smashed through it with no injuries. It shot out a sharp point of itself at her. She gasped as she dodge it, just barely kept it from impaling her stomach. She returned several more attacks at it while starting to fly backwards again.

"Shambles!" Law switched himself with Neo. The blob didn't notice the change and still flew towards him. Using his Room, he sliced it up into several pieces. The orb separated and floated in place like it was stunned before dropping down to the ground as he did.

"Is it over?" Luffy asked.

"I'm not sure," Sanji replied as Zoro poked one of the small blobs with his sword.

"What was that thing?" Chopper asked at the two crews gathered closer to the stuff.

Law sheathed his sword as Neo flew over to him. She landed and wrapped her arms around his waist as he put his arm around her and scanned for injuries. "Are you injured?"

"No," She replied back while looking for injures on him. They turned their attention back to the blobs as the two crews tried to figured out what this thing was.

"Do you think it's dead?" Usopp asked. He bend down for a closer inspection.

"It wasn't alive in the first place," When Neo spoke they all turned to her.

"What do you mean?" Franky asked.

"I'm not really sure. But I don't sense a life force coming from it," Neo looked at her friends then at Law. "Whatever it is, it's not organic. I felt it when I jammed it with my ice."

"So, it's some kind of…," Nami paused but couldn't come up with a possible guess.

Suddenly Neo was jerked from Law's side. She grabbed his wrist. "Law!"

One of the blob's pieces had wrapped around her without anyone noticing it was moving. She formed her crystals and attacked the thing slithering up her body. Law tugged on her arm, trying to free her. When he couldn't do it one handed her when to unsheathe his nodachi. But he couldn't move his arm at all. He looked to see he was also trapped in one of the smaller blobs as well. They all were.

"What is this thing trying to do? Kill us or capture us?" Sanji asked as they all struggled to try and get free of their own blob traps.

Chopper was about to be complete covered. He expanded into his human form. It kept him from being taken over, but just for a while. The blob continued up his body like the others. "It didn't work! Luffy! What do we do?!"

"I don't know!" Luffy shouted as he ballooned up. It didn't work either. Panic set into all of them as the blobs began to cover up their faces.

"Neo, hold on!" Law cried as he tried to keep hold on her hand as she started to slip from his grip.

"La-" Neo's voice was cut off as they all were completely engulfed and her fingers slipped from his.

…

 **Author's Notes: Cursed cliffhangers! And Luffy for interrupting our lovely couple again. Someone really needs to have a talk with him about his timing. Ya know this is the first time I've ever had so many cliffhangers. They just keep popping up all over the place. At least I don't take forever to update, but still. Cursed cliffhangers!**

 **This is also the first time I've have two characters kiss so much. Hee hee. It's so fluffy! Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing. I love reading ya'll reviews. They make me go 'squee'.**


	9. Pendulum

Pendulum

"Time for you all to wake up now. We have a lot of work to do. Or, rather, _you all_ have lot of work to do. Hee hee…"

…

Chopper groaned as his senses became bombarded with hundreds of new smells and noises. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Once his vision was clears his eyes about popped out of his head. "What the heck?! Where am I?!"

He stared up at several tents. People with dark green hair, cinnamon colored skin and short pointy ears rushed around. Some were juggling, some were balancing on one wheeled bikes, some were leading strange animals around, some animals were chained up or in cages.

Chopper screamed when he looked to his right to find a spider monkey with wings staring at him. The monkey's eyes started to glow. A beam of light poured out from its eyes. The light formed a man. The man worn a grey and purple vertical striped robe. His skin was a pastel blue, his hair was like a lion's mane only black and his hears were long and fish like.

…

"Well, this isn't normal," Sanji said as he puffed on a cigarette. He was sitting down on a glass roof top. The wind teased his blonde tresses as he looked down over a strange city that was made entirely of glass. Even though all the buildings were made of glass the sun didn't glare off of the surfaces.

Beside him was a spider monkey with wings. It stared at him until its eyes started to glow. A beam of light poured out from its eyes. The light formed a man. The man worn a grey and purple vertical striped robe. His skin was a pastel blue, his hair was like a lion's mane only black and his ears were long and fish like.

Sanji's eyebrow twitched as he looked at the hologram of the man. "I assume that voice I just heard was yours?"

…

"Wake up," Shachi called as he shook Luffy. Luffy continued to snore and mumbled in his sleep. "Wake up, Straw Hat!"

"Sanji, what's for breakfast?" Luffy asked as he finally woke up.

"Afraid we have a more serious problem to worry about than breakfast," Shachi said as he pointed to the desert behind him.

"Weren't we on an island a few seconds go? And wasn't it night?" Luffy asked as he looked around. They were in the shadow of a large rock, but nothing else but sand could be seen.

"Yeah," Shachi nodded. "We were attacked by some weird orb thing. Next thing I know, here we are. No one else is here."

"The others are missing?!" Luffy gasped as he sat up.

"All I could find was this weird little monkey," Shachi said as he looked at the winged creature beside him. A beam of light poured out from its eyes. The light formed a man. The man worn a grey and purple vertical striped robe. His skin was a pastel blue, his hair was like a lion's mane only black and his ears were long and fish like.

"Who are you? And where are my friends?!" Luffy demanded.

…

"Did anyone else hear that voice just now?" Usopp asked as he pulled himself off the ground. A subzero wind blew through his body. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. "What the heck?! Where are we?! And why is it so freaking cold?!"

"I'm just fine," Bepo said.

"Says the one born with a fur coat!" Usopp screamed.

"I'm sorry," Bepo bowed his head.

"We are most definitely not on Purlieu Island anymore. Where do you suppose the strange thing, that attacked us, took us? And what's the deal with the monkey?" Brook said as he pointed at the winged spider monkey staring at them. "It's actually very creepy. I think that voice that spoke to us came from it."

The three turned their eyes to the monkey. A beam of light poured out from its eyes. The light formed a man. The man worn a grey and purple vertical striped robe. His skin was a pastel blue, his hair was like a lion's mane only black and his ears were long and fish like.

…

"So where do you think we are? And who was speaking to us?" Penguin asked as he looked around the small island they were on. There was a small fish shaped submarine tide to the small dock. Nothing else was there, but them, the sub, the dock and a winged spider monkey.

He picked up a pebble and chunked it at the monkey staring at him. The pebble hit the monkey on the head. It made a clanking sound. Penguin and Robin looked at the thing.

"From that sound, I think it's safe to assumed his monkey isn't real," Robin said as she bend down to inspect the thing closer. Its eyes weren't real. They were mechanical.

The two shifted close to the machine when a beam of light poured out from its eyes. The light formed a man. The man worn a grey and purple vertical striped robe. His skin was a pastel blue, his hair was like a lion's mane only black and his ears were long and fish like.

…

"When I get my hands on that thing that attacked us," Zoro grumbled as he woke up. His head was spinning and throbbing.

"I think that might take a while," Franky said.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked.

"I have no idea where we are," Franky replied. He was standing over by a cliff. "But there is some kind of city near by."

Zoro stood up and joined his friend. They ducked down when something flew over their heads. Zoro pulled out his swords. "What the heck?"

"It looked like some kind of flying machine," Franky reported.

"Whatever. Let's just get out of here and find the others," Zoro turned from the cliff, intent on leaving. He stopped when his eyes landed on a spider monkey with wings. His eyebrows twitched in agitation when the monkey kept staring at him. "You wanna fight?"

The monkey only replied with a beam of light pouring out from its eyes. The light formed a man. The man worn a grey and purple vertical striped robe. His skin was a pastel blue, his hair was like a lion's mane only black and his ears were long and fish like.

Franky and Zoro exchanged confused glances then stared back at the monkey.

…

Law opened his eyes. He was expecting to see the stars. All he saw was tree limbs and leaves with very little moonlight poking through the leaves. He gasped in a panic when everything that happened came back to him. "Neo! Neo?!"

He jumped to his feet and looked around. He was in some forest. And the only other human with him was Nami. Nami groaned as she came to her senses and sat up. "What happened? Where are we?"

"I don't know," Law replied as he cupped his hands over his mouth. "Neo! Neo, where are you? Answer me!"

"Ah, good," The voice from before said. "You're all finally awake."

Nami and Law looked around for the disembodied voice talking to them. A spider monkey jumped down from a near by tree. Its eyes lit up, lighting up the area as well. A small holographic projection of a man appeared. The man worn a grey and purple vertical striped robe. His skin was a pastel blue, his hair was like a lion's mane only black and his ears were long and fish like.

Nami kneeled down to be closer to the small hologram. "Are you the one who trapped us in the weird ball thing?"

"Yes, I am," He replied.

"Where's Neo?! What did you do to her?!" Law demanded.

"She is just fine. She-"

"Give her back to me! Now!" Law hissed.

"Temper, temper. I can't do that right now," The man stroked his chin as if Law's outburst didn't effect him.

"Why did you take us? And where are the rest of our friends?" Nami asked with a more cooler head than Law.

"All of you are watching this broadcast simultaneously. You all are currently safe for the moment. I, however, cannot say how long that will last since I don't really know all of the areas you are in." The man said.

…

"Sounds like this guy is talking about Neo," Penguin sighed.

"Then it must be Trafalgar he's talking to. I guess we can only talk to this guy and not our friends," Robin pondered. "But why take Neo? For a hostage?"

…

"I thought you all would be happy that I didn't send her to one of the areas," The man said. "She's much safer where she is."

…

"Areas? What are you talking about?" Sanji asked the image. "And just who the heck are you?"

…

"My name is Pendulum," The man's holographic image began to move like he was pacing in place. "And I won't bore you all with the details of where you are exactly. It would take too much time and most likely you won't understand it anyway. I brought you all here because I need you to get something for me. Long story short, I was in a battle a few years ago and something important to me got broke and scattered to these points that you all are currently at. It's a mirror, of sorts. All you have to do is get the mirror shards back for me."

…

"Achoo!" Usopp sneezed and shivered. "You've got to be k-kidding me. We're about to freeze to death out here and you want us to find you a mirror?! Just go buy another one! ACHOOO!"

"I'm not freezing," Bepo said.

"Oh shut up!" Usopp shouted.

"I'm sorry," Bepo bowed his head again as Shachi remained quiet with his eyes focused on the monkey before them.

…

"This mirror can't just be bought," Pendulum shook his head. "It's a special mirror. And if you want to see your friends again you will find all the pieces for me. There are only seven. It shouldn't be that hard for you all. I've been watching you all for a long time. And I believe you have all the skills necessary to succeed in your mission."

…

"I will not bow to your demands! Return her to me! _Now_!" Law hissed.

"You will be reunited with your _princess_ as soon as you have your assigned shard," Pendulum smiled when Law flinched at the fact this stranger knew she was a princess.

"You know she's a princess?" Nami gasped.

"Like I just said, I've been watching you all for a long time," The holographic man looked up at Law with a smirk. "I know what she means to you. While I cannot hand her over to you, I can show you that she is indeed safe. She hasn't even woken up yet."

The holograph faded and another one appeared. This one was of Neo. She was laying on a bed, on top of the covers, still wearing her black dress and Law's hat, sleeping. That was all they could see. They couldn't tell if she was alone or if someone was with her. Law kneeled down and reached for her, but his hand passed right through the hologram.

Neo disappeared and Pendulum reappeared. Law growled and clenched his fists. "If you touch her-"

Nami held out her hand to cut Law off. Law glared at her, but remained quiet. She narrowed her eyebrows at Pendulum's image. "All right, we'll do what you want. Just don't hurt her. How do we find these shards?"

"Good. I have already equipped you all with the necessary equipment," Pendulum replied in a cocky voice.

…

"Don't tell me this little monkey is all we need," Zoro said as he frowned.

"How will this thing help us?" Franky asked as he scratched his head.

…

"The monkeys work for me," Pendulum explained. "They have the ability to trace the unique magic signal the shards will be giving off. You'll also know you have the correct shard because no reflection, of any kind, can be seen in them. I can't tell you where or who might have the shards because I don't know. I don't care how you get them as long as you get them. Kill for all I care. Since you're all pirates I know that won't be a problem for you. There is, however, some rules you need to be aware of. First rule, and the most important rule, _never_ mention my name to anyone. Second rule, do not udder one word about your mission to anyone either. Third rule, never tell anyone that the monkeys with you are machines. Fourth rule, do not let the monkeys be destroyed. They're your only way back to your precious princess. If you break any of these rules I cannot guarantee the safety of your princess. And I will know if you break any of these rules. The monkeys will be recording every move and sound you make and sending the feed directly to me."

"What do we do when we have the shard? Will the monkey call you?" Nami asked.

"Once you have obtained your individual shard your monkey will teleport you to your princess and your mission is over. When I get all the shards I will send you all back home. Good luck to you all, oh, and don't die," With that Pendulum's image disappeared.


	10. Neo

Neo

Neo groaned slightly as she began to wake up. Her vision was blurry when she opened her eyes. Her stomach twisted. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. When she opened her eyes again, her stomach had settle down and her vision was clearer. Her heart pounded as she remembered what happened. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked around the tan colored room. "Law!"

She found she was laying on a very large bed that could fit at least six people comfortably. To her left were two smaller rooms. The purple ombre doors, oddly shaped and angled, were closed so she couldn't see what they were. To her right was a balcony with see through light blue doors, without handles, that almost covered the entire wall. Outside she could see part of some kind of structure.

There was another door straight ahead of her. She assumed it was the way out of the bedroom. She crawled off the bed and rushed over to it. She carefully opened it and peaked out. The hallway was the same color as the room. Several doors lined both sides of the hall and apart of it opened up to, what she assumed, were stairs since she figured she wasn't on the ground floor.

The building was quiet. She assumed that no one was there, but she couldn't be sure of that. For all she knew, there was some kind of ambush waiting for her. She closed the door quietly. She pressed her back to it and tried to calm her increasing breathing. She couldn't sense Law anywhere near. "Law, where are you?"

She rushed over to the only doors she knew led outside. When she reached them, she paused. Were they even unlocked? The bedroom door was unlocked so this one should be too, right? She reached out and touched one of the doors. They both opened with just a light touch. She gave light sigh of relief. At least she wasn't trapped in this room.

She ran out onto the balcony to find she was right in assuming she wasn't on the ground floor. She looked out at the view before her. The structure she had see looked like it was part light house, part mechanical claw with only two pinchers. Around the structure was a small forest made of several types of trees that she didn't recognize and a maze made of bluish green bushes and multiple colored plants and flowers that were also unfamiliar.

She fluttered her wings before taking off into the air. Turning back to the building she was in, she gasped when she saw it. The building itself was weird shaped. It was huge, mansion like huge. The middle of the building looking normal, a simple vertical rectangular like shape with two tall, not very wide purple ombre doors. There was a concrete porch with some kind of bird bath like pedestal with some stone ball laying in it and several oddly shaped chairs around the pedestal.

Both sides of the building poked out from the middle of the building like a bird spreading its wings. They both had about seven stories to them, but it was hard to tell for sure as the rooms didn't line up with each other. They were angled and looked like someone just haphazardly piled one room on top of the others. The room she came out of seemed oddly straight compared to the others. She had no clue how the building could look like this on the outside when the hall looked so normally straight inside.

She turned away from the strange building and headed for the other only structure she could see. While flying over she found it odd that she didn't see any birds flying around or animals running around on the ground. Was she really this alone or were the animals hiding for some reason? But what she found most puzzling of all was she couldn't sense any kind of life. Nature was as silent as if it was dead.

When she got close enough to the structure she noticed it didn't have any windows or doors on it. While distracted why the build, a vine snapped out and wrapped around her ankle. She gasped as it jerked her downward. She flapped her wings harder and pulled away from the vine. She leveled out her flying and tried to fly closer to the structure. Several more vines rose up and started to snap at her. "Why are you attacking me? Stop that!"

She waved her hand to order them to back down. They didn't listen to her. They continued to snap and grab at her. "Why aren't you listening to me?"

While she continued to try to get close to the structure, birds rose up from the ground and swooped in at her. She noticed that she didn't recognize the strange dark blue birds. Their wings were tipped in black as were their beaks. Their eyes were a dull red, lifeless. They wouldn't listen to her either. "What is this? Are you all dead or something?"

One of the birds swooped in close enough that it sliced her left arm. She winced at the pain as she summoned her fire crystals. She put up a wall of fire between her and her attackers. Once they backed off she flew away from them. The fire died down and they followed her. When she got far enough away from the structure, the birds and the vines settled back down.

Neo turned back when she noticed they weren't following her anymore. They obviously didn't want her near that structure. She looked down to her injured arm. Blood was tricking down her skin. The cut wasn't too bad. It didn't need immediate medical attention but she summoned her solar crystal to heal it anyway. She knew Law wouldn't be happy with her if she let it get infected.

She turned away from the structure and flew off. Maybe she would be able to find her friends if she just looked for them. She could send up signal flares using her fire crystals. Suddenly a faded image of herself appeared in front of her. "What the…?"

Neo reach out and placed her hands on some kind of smooth surface. She didn't recognize it. It wasn't glass. And it wasn't plastic. She pounded her fist on it. Nothing. No sound or vibration from the hit.

She started to fly off to her right. Her fade image followed her. As she flew along side her image, dread began to settle in her stomach. She whispered to herself as she flew faster. "No, no, no."

Her dread was morphing into panic when her little flight brought her right back to where she had started from. She snapped her wings and rose up along with her reflection. As she got higher the strange material began to curve. She followed it to the other side of wherever she was.

She was trapped after all. She wasn't trapped in that strange shaped house. But she was trapped in some kind of dome. A dome that she estimated to be around two miles in radius. Her wings faltered and she dropped several feet.

She snapped her wings, regaining some altitude. Tears streamed down her face as she cried out. "No…Not again! I can't be trapped again! Let me out of here!"

She summoned all of her crystals and formed several attacks to fire at the dome. She formed ice, fire, lightning and every kind of attack she had in her arsenal the unleashed her fury, and panic, on the dome side. When her attacks faded a sharp stab of pain ran through her heart as the fears of the time she was trapped, without Law and the others back on Luminous, flooded through her mind.

Her wings began to falter again.

She descended down to the ground before she lost control over her wings and fell. When her feet touched the grass she dropped to her knees and hands. She clenched the grass, the lifeless grass in her hands. Fresh tears began to flow down her cheeks. "N-Not again…I can't do this…Not ag-"

Neo gagged as when her fancy dinner decided it wanted to make another appearance. When she emptied her stomach Law's hat fell off her head and rolled away a few feet. Once her stomach decided it had nothing left to give, Neo straightened up and cover her mouth with her hand. She then crawled over to Law's hat.

She picked it up. Hugging it to her chest as she laid down on the ground. Her sun crystal disappeared after it finished healing the cut on her arm as tears continued to roll down her cheeks. She held onto the only two things she had of him with her. His hat and his ring. "Law…Where are you? Where are you all? Come find me. I don't want to be alone. Law!"

She laid there, clinging to his hat, and eventually cried herself to sleep.

…

"Don't get so close!"

"Why not? She's pweddy!"

"Pretty doesn't mean she's safe!"

"Doesn't mean she's not safe. You know she doesn't belong here. _He_ must have brought her here."

"True, but we don't know anything for sure."

"I wike her!"

"Celeste! Get away from her!"

"Hm?" Neo shifted when voiced began to filter into her ears.

"She's waking up! Let's get out of here!"

"Uh," Neo sat up quickly when she realized she wasn't dreaming, she really did hear someone, three people talking. Three tiny voices were speaking. But when she looked no one was around. She rubbed her forehead. Maybe she was dreaming after all.

A rumble made her look up. The strange doom ceiling began to darken like a storm was rolling in. The wind began to pick up. Neo stood up, still clinging to Law's hat. She could sense the storm coming, but it didn't feel right to her. It was different somehow.

She didn't have time to think about it as raindrops began to fall from somewhere above. She flicked her wings then took to the air. She made it back inside the room she woke up in just before it started to down pour. The rain felt different too. She held out her hand and caught some of it.

She brought her hand close to her face and inspected the drops. Instead of pooling into a tiny puddle, they maintained their droplet forms. They didn't mix together at all. She tilted her hand, allowing them to fall to the balcony floor. When they hit the floor they immediately absorbed into it. Neo gave it a confused look before looking back out into the storm. "What is this place?"

Neo turned and padded into the room. She looked around before walking over to the two smaller rooms. She opened one to find it was a bathroom. Everything in the bathroom was just as oddly shaped and angled as the outside of the house. It had a shower and a bathtub. "This is just weird. This place kind of looks like a mixed up version of our room on the sub and the one we stayed in on Luminous. Is this all just a coincident or on purpose?"

She closed the bathroom door and walked over to the other small room. She opened it to find it was a closet. All of the clothes were light colors either shaped in squares, triangles, rectangles patterns or they had designs with those shapes on them. She closed the closet door before walking back over to the bed. She sat down on it and looked over to the bedroom door.

She clenched Law's hat to her chest and bend her head down to take in his scent as she wondered what she should do now. "Should I just stay right here? Or should I check out the rest of the house? It doesn't seem like there's anyone else here. What would you want me to do, Law?"

Neo's instincts began to kick in when she sense someone was behind her. She waited until they got close enough before jumping off the bed. She summoned her wind crystals and trapped them in a whirlwind. She was stunned when a cheerful voice cried out from her wind. "Weeeeee! Faster! Faster!"

"What the…," Neo slowed down her wind so she could pluck the tiny little figure spinning around in her little tornado. She blinked rapidly at the thing hanging from her fingers. The thing was about three inches tall. Its skin was a light orange, hair was a pumpkin orange and all of it was style up into a point, while its eyes were a bright orange. The fabric the creature wore was a one shoulder strap revealing midriff leaf shaped top, matching shorts, orangish brown in color and didn't feel familiar to her touch. And sticking out from its back were dragonfly shaped wings. They were black on the outline and transparent orange everywhere else. "What are you?"

"I'm Time Sprite!" The little orange creature smiled brightly as she chirped her reply.

…

 **Author's Notes: Just so ya know, when writing this chapter I was envisioning The Jetsons cartoon. How everything is kinda oddly shaped and futuristic like.**

 **sarge1130: Yeah, fun time over. *sigh***

 **Apple Bloom: Thanks! Will do! ^_^**

 **PuddyKatz: I have no idea where this idea came from. Outta da blue? I can get ideas, sometimes, just from one word being spoken.**

 **Mei: Separated again. Poor Law and Neo. Yeah, poor Usopp too.**


	11. Time Stream

Time Stream

"Don't hurt her!" Another tiny female voice called out. Neo looked up to see two more of these creatures hovering near by. They both were bluish green in color. Just like the orange one, these two skin was a lighter color while their hair was darker. One was a girl with long hair pull up in two pigtails on top of her head. Her top was like a strapless bra that hugged her chest tight, her pants were straight legged with square patches on them, both the shirt and pants were white while the squares were different colors. She had a silver braces that seemed to hover above her wrists and ankles that didn't move no matter if she was moving or keeping still. The boy was wearing a red vest with no buttons or any other kind of latch and his pants were baggy and black. His hair was cut short and spiky.

"She was just curious," The female said as she and the boy hovered in the air with their bluish green transparent dragon fly like wings.

"I'm not going to hurt her," Neo replied as she released the creature from her grip. "But why were you following me? Who are you?"

"You…You're really not going to hurt us?" The female asked as she placed her hands on the shoulders of the younger girl.

"Of course not. I heard you talking before," Neo said softly, hugging Law's hat to her chest. "If you were going to attack me you would have done it when I was sleeping. I don't believe you are a threat to me."

"Then you're not really with him, huh?" The boy asked. Neo turned her attention to him. His eyes were wondering over her and stopped on her stomach. She saw his eyes slightly widen. He's cheeks tinted as he looked away and rubbed his neck.

"Not with who?" Neo asked.

"Pendumdum!" The little girl giggled.

"Pendulum," The oldest girl corrected.

"Who?" Neo asked.

"Pendulum is the guy who brought you here," The boy said while shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Why? Was he the one who sent that strange orb thing to attack us? Did he take my friends too? Do you know where they are?" Neo's words practically ran together.

"Whoa, whoa! Slow down, honey," The older girl held up her hands. "Calm down. Are you saying there's more of you here?"

"Well, not here, _here_. I don't sense Law anywhere near by," Neo flinched and pressed his hat harder to her chest.

"Who Law? Law who?" The little girl flew up to Neo's face. "You call his name when you were sleeping too."

"Law is my husband."

"What's husband?" The girl tilted her head. Neo blinked in confusion.

"He's her helpmate, Celeste," The older girl said then snapped her fingers. "Oh, right! We should introduce ourselves. As I've already just said this little lass is Celeste. My name is Velocity. And the quiet, for some reason staring, lad there is my twin Elian."

"My name's Neo," Neo looked back at Elian who adverted his eyes from hers.

"Neo! Neo!" Celeste cheered.

"So where am I?" Neo asked. "And who was this Pendulum you mentioned?"

"You're in the Time Stream," Velocity replied. She flew over to the balcony and looked up at the dome ceiling. She waved her hand in the air and created a blueish green glowing roof over the balcony to block the rain. "Come look."

As Neo walked over, Velocity and Elian repositioned a telescope that she never noticed before. Velocity looked into the glass as she shouted out commands to Elian in a language that Neo didn't understand. He obeyed her orders and changed the angle of the telescope. Velocity then looked back up to Neo. "Take a look."

Neo nodded and stepped over to the device. She peered into it and gasped. There were countless domes hovering in an unseen stream. "What is this?"

"The Time Stream," Elian explained. "This is our world. We are literally floating in the stream of time."

"Are you saying that I'm not in my own time? I'm in the future or something?" Neo asked.

"Not exactly," Velocity said as she sat down on the telescope. "The Time Stream is in a constant flow. We don't stop for anything. We can be in the past, present or one of the many possibilities of the future."

"Then how do I find Law and my friends? Where did they go?" Neo asked her voice rising in panic. Tears began to form in her eyes.

"No cry! No cry!" Celeste pouted. She flew over and hugged Neo's cheek. "Pweddy girl don't need to be sad!"

"She's right. I'm sure your friends and your husband are just fine," Velocity said as she rose to be eye level with Neo.

"But where are they? And why did that guy bring us here?" Neo wiped her tears away.

"My guess is they're probably on other Time Domes," Elian said as he rubbed his chin.

"Is there a way to get to them?" Neo asked.

"There use to be," Velocity flew closer over to the edge of the balcony. She pointed down. "See that pedestal there? The stone laying in it is a Time Sphere."

"Time Sphere?" Neo questioned as she looked over the edge.

"The Time Sphere used to look like a pearl and it would glow when used. That's how people in the Time Stream use to travel between Time Domes. But about five hundred years ago the Time Spheres stopped working. We've all been trapped since," Velocity explained.

"Why did they stop?" Neo asked.

"We assume they were damaged in a battle between Pendulum and Empress Futura. Pendulum's been trying to take over the Time Stream for centuries," Elian replied.

"Take over the Time Stream?" Neo asked. "What is he wanting to do? And what does this have to do with me and my friends?"

"Pendulum is just a power hungry, sadistic jerk," Velocity twirled a strained of her hair. "We have no idea what he's really after or what he would want with people who don't live here. Whatever it is it has something to do with that strange building out there. He built it."

Neo looked to the structure she tried to get close to before. Elian landed on her shoulder. "For your safety, stay away from that place. If Pendulum catches you there he'll hurt you."

"So that guy is here?" Neo asked.

"He comes and goes," Elian replied as he sat down on her shoulder.

"But you said no one can travel anymore," Neo pointed out.

"We can't, but somehow he still can," Velocity tapped her chin in thought. "I bet that's how he brought you all to the Time Stream. The only questions we don't have answer to are, 'How is he able to travel?' and 'Why did he bring you all here?'. If only we could get a message to Empress Futura. She might be able to help. Ugh! Why do we have to be stuck here?!"

"How long have you been here?" Neo asked.

"The Time Sprites have always lived here," Elian said. "They maintain this dome for travelers. Since Pendulum has taken over this place the Time Sprites remain hidden inside the mechanical workings of this dome."

"Time Sprites! Time Sprites!" Celeste cheered as she did cartwheels through the air.

"Mechanical? That's why I can't sense life in these plants and animals. They're not alive," Neo mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Elian asked.

"Oh, um," Neo bit her bottom lip. She felt like she could trust these creatures, but she wasn't sure if she should tell them about herself just yet.

"You're a shy one, huh?" Velocity smiled at her. "And you're not very trusting."

"Sorry," Neo mumbled.

"Don't worry about it," Velocity waved her hand dismissively. "We understand that trust is earned. I'd be cautious too if I got dropped in the middle of nowhere without my friends and three strange creatures suddenly popped up with a bizarre story about total time take over from a sadistic sociopath."

"Story! Story! Bizarre Story!" Neo raised an eyebrow at the orange sprite.

"Ignore her," Elian chuckled. "She still has a few years before she hits maturity. Plus, I think she hit her head a couple times when she was learning to fly."

Neo slowly nodded as she studied the little orange creature. Her stomach then growl before anyone else could say anything. Elian flew off her shoulder and looked at her. "We should get you something to eat. You have to remain strong and healthy since your pre-uh-presently a long way from home."

"You're acting weird today," Velocity informed her brother. She had her arms crossed and her eyebrow raised.

"Sorry," Elian scratched his head. "I guess I'm just a bit concerned with what Pendulum is up to. He hasn't made a move in so long."

"What do you mean?" Neo asked.

"Nothing," Velocity and Elian said at the same time while exchanging glances.

"Let's get you something to eat," Velocity waved for Neo to follow her.

"Eat! Eat! Let's eat!" Celeste said as she flew past them all. She opened the door and disappeared into the hall. Neo followed, carefully scanning the hallway and the doors as they passed them. The building felt a lot more inviting with these three around, but she was still uneasy and knew Law would want her to take precautions.

Once they reached the stairs, Neo found that they led directly down into a living room area. There were two L shaped couches, each long enough to hold ten people on each wing. Several flower shaped beanbag like chairs were thrown all around the room and were accompanied by organic shaped mini tables with one leg each that hovered inches above the floor.

She followed them into the kitchen. The cabinets, fridge, counters, table, chairs, everything was organically shaped. Her eyes stopped on the fridge. It was huge. "Sanji would love this kitchen."

"Sanji?" Elian questioned. "He one of your friends? Please, sit down and rest."

"Yes, he a cook," Neo nodded and sat down in one of the chair that also hovered over the floor. She tested it before sitting down. She kept Law's hat in her lap as her eyes followed the sprites around. They opened the fridge door and pulled out several things using their magic. "So what kind of magic do you three have?"

"Well, we can make things float, obviously," Velocity giggled as she placed a plate of food on the table using her magic. "We can change things shapes, colors, transport things short distances, basic stuff like that."

"You should eat," Elian said as he pushed a plate of food Neo couldn't recognize close to her. She stared down at it and tightened her grip on Law's hat. He grabbed some of the food to prove his point. "Don't worry. It's not poisoned or anything. It's very healthy food. And it tastes great too."

"Good food! Good food!" Celeste chirped before diving into something that looked similar to jello. Neo watched them eat before carefully picking up something that was shaped to look like a carnation. It tasted like vanilla pudding. She picked at other stuff and found they had similar tastes to the food she was use to even though they didn't resembled any food like she's seen before.

Suddenly, there was a strange change in the pressure around them. The sprites ducked down behind the food. Celeste's tiny body shook with shivers. Neo jumped to her feet when a man appeared in the room. He was kneeling down, like he was bowing to her. He wore a grey and purple striped robe, had pastel blue skin, black hair and fish like ears. "Welcome to the Time Stream, Elemental Princess Neo of Luminous Island. I see you have already made yourself at home…and made some new friends. I'm sure they have already told you all about me so I'll skip the introduction."

The sprites ducked down even lower.

"H-How did you know that I'm a princess?" Neo stuttered as she took a step back from him. He rose up from the bow and looked at her with black eyes. She flinched and felt like his gaze was suffocating her.

"I know all about you, Princess Neo," He smiled, but it wasn't warm or inviting. "I've been watching you and your friends for some time now."

"My friends…Give them back! Give them back to me!" Neo narrowed her eyebrows at him. She clenched Law's hat and formed her crystals. She fired them all at him. An invisible wave washed over the room. It slowed down her attacks to the point they were almost frozen in the air. "What the…"

"Settle down, Princess," Pendulum suddenly disappeared then reappeared beside her. He leaned into her ear. Neo knew she should move away, but her body wouldn't listen to her. "I'm sure your love wouldn't want you to be stupid and hurt yourself before he can reunite with you."

Neo clenched Law's hat. She took a couple deep breaths as her angry flared inside of her. "Give him back to me. Give them all back to me."

"In _time_ ," Pendulum chuckled at his own joke and pulled away from her. He paced around the kitchen, grabbing some food off the table and tossing it into his mouth. "For now, you'll just have to be patient. I need their assistance in retrieving something for me. As soon as they get them, they'll be brought here. Until then, just relax. This is your new home for now."

"What are you forcing them to do?! Where are they?!" Neo demanded. "Are they hurt?!"

"No, they are not hurt. I'm just having them retrieve some mirror shards for me," Pendulum said it like he'd just sent them to the store to pick up some milk. "They're all pretty strong so I assume it shouldn't taken them long to retrieve them. I'll bet you'll all be back together within less than two months."

"Two months?" Neo squeaked as all the air left her lungs and her knees wobbled.

"I see why that would concern you. Considering you've tried to kill yourself so many times in your life. And you had such hard time without your love by your side when he _abandon_ you to go off fighting. That's quiet some man you have there," Pendulum chuckled darkly. "He's supposed to love and protect you and yet he _abandons_ you for a silly little fight."

"He has _never_ abandon me. And he _never_ will," Neo took a few more deep breaths. She knew she had to relax. This guy was just trying to provoke her. She couldn't give him that satisfaction. "I trust his decisions. You know nothing about him."

"I know _everything_ about you all," Pendulum whispered in her ear. "Like I said, I've been watching you all for some time now. Just be a good little princess and he'll return to you soon. They all will. That's what you want, right? Just be patient."

Pendulum straightened up and walked back over to the spot where he appeared. "Until then, enjoy the comfort of this place. I'm sure in _time_ you will come to enjoy your new surroundings. Farewell, Princess Neo of Luminous."

Pendulum then disappeared from the room. Neo placed her hand over her mouth as her stomach spun. She dropped to her knees and gagged. Velocity flew over and landed on her shoulder. She rubbed her hand on Neo's shoulder as she spoke tenderly to her. "Calm down, sweetie. Just take slow deep breaths. It'll be all right."

Elian and Celeste flew over as well. Elian hovered in front of her as Celeste landed on Neo's head and stroked her hair. "No cry. No cry. Pweddy girl no be sad."

"Is it true what he said?" Elian asked carefully. "Are you really a princess?"

Neo looked up at him. There was no point in keep anything from them anymore. So she told them everything.


	12. Law & Nami

Law and Nami

Law clenched his fists as the image of their captor disappeared from their sight. The light the monkey was giving off dimmed, leaving only a light glow that barely lit up the small area they were in. His fists trembled before he ran over to a tree and punched it. The trunk of the tree shattered causing the tree to tumble over. "You need to calm down."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Law hissed as he turned to Nami and glared at her.

Nami flinched at his harsh glare but held her confidence in her voice as she spoke back to him. "Normally I wouldn't tell you what to do because, quite frankly, you scare me. But in this case I have to tell you to chill. You have a tendency to get a little crazy and unfocused when Neo isn't by your side or with a member of your crew. She _needs_ you to focus right now. You're not doing it for _me_ , you're doing it for _her_. Obviously you want to get her back, we all do. And we will get her back. Besides, you've trained her well enough. She knows how to take care of herself and she knows we'll come for her."

Law turned his back to her. He knew she was right, but he wouldn't admit that to her. "We can't do anything until the sun comes up. I'll start a fire. Who knows where we are? Or what creatures might be stalking us at this point."

Using what little light she had, Nami gathered up as many sticks as she could. Once she had enough she pulled out her weather staff, thankful she had it with her. She twirled it and used it to create a lightning bolt, lighting their much needed fire. The two eventually sat down. At one point Nami looked over at Law. He was staring directly into the fire. She knew he wasn't actually seeing it. His mind was on Neo. She wanted to tell him everything would be fine and that she was okay, but she just laid down and closed her eyes.

A few hours later the rays of light pierced through Nami's closed eye lids. She sat up and stretched. Law was already up. Nami wondered if he even went to sleep. She turned her attention to the monkey with them. It was still in the same place as it was last night. "So, you gonna show us where we're supposed to go?"

The monkey respond to her by forming a holographic map. It showed them their location and the location of the shard. Nami rubbed her chin as she studied the map. "If I'm reading this thing correctly the shard isn't too far off."

"Then let's get it and get out of here," Law grumbled, he loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves as they began to walk through the forest.

About forty-five minutes later the small group of three began to see signs of a house peaking through the branches and bushes of the forest they were in. Nami let out a grumble sigh of relief. "Finally! I was beginning to think we were never going to get out of there. I need some water."

The two broke through the last of the forest and examined the scenery before them. Nami gasped. "Wow! It looks like Alabasta, minus the desert."

Down the hill from where they stood was a large mansion surrounded by a high stone fence with two large iron gates and soldiers lined up along the sides. On the sides of the mansion, but for the forest side where they were standing, was a city. They descended down the hill and made their way closer to the mansion. When they got about a hundred yards from the stone fence their monkey companion started to malfunction.

"What's wrong?" Law asked as Nami kneeled down to look at the monkey.

"I don't know. It just started going berserk," Nami grabbed the monkey and moved it back a few steps in the direction they came from. It went back to normal and tried to move forward again. But when it got back to the hundred yard mark, it when berserk. "That's odd. It looks like the monkey can't get any closer. But the shard _is_ in that place."

"Then forget the stupid monkey," Law took a step forward to the mansion. "Let's get the shard."

"Halt! State your name and purpose for being here!" A voice demanded. They turned to see a couple guards walking up to them. When they got closer the two pirates noticed the two guards weren't human. They looked like dragons with human features. One of them had green skin while the other had blue skin. The color of their hair was hidden under their hats, but there eyes were solid black with only a small fraction of light glinting off them. The one who spoke before spoke up again after releasing a puff of fire from his mouth, revealing his sharp teeth. "Speak! What is your purpose for being here?!"

"At easy, Uther," The blue guard held out his hand, revealing his two inch long claws. "They are obviously not from this sector. Must have gotten separated from their tour group."

Uther let out a disapproval grunt. "This tourist drive is a bad idea. I've always said that. You'd think they would have learned by now."

"Tourist drive?" Nami questioned.

"Forgive Uther, he's on edge. We all are," The blue guarded turned back to Law and Nami. "See, the family that lives in this mansion, their daughter has been almost kidnapped twice."

"I see," Nami smiled at the guards. "Well, I'm sorry we gave you the idea we were up to something no good. I assure you we are not here to kidnap anyone."

"I can see that. You are much to pretty to be a heartless kidnapper," The blue guard smiled and Uther rolled his eyes. "My name is Volos. Welcome to Adalinda."

"Adalinda? Where in the New World is that?" Nami asked.

"New World?" Uther laughed. "Are you ill or something?"

"What's so funny? All I asked is where in the New World we are," Nami raised an eyebrow at the laughing dragon like person.

"We have never heard of this New World," Volos shot a disapproving glance at his fellow guard before turning a smile back to Nami. Nami looked over at Law. He didn't return her glance as he looked around. His eyebrows were kneaded in confusion and worry.

"Are we back in the East Blue? The Grand Line?" Nami asked without thinking.

"East Blue? Grand Line?" Uther laughed again. "You come up with some of the craziest names, little girl."

"Then where the heck are we?!" Nami demanded as panic began to settle into her stomach.

"I already told you, you're in Adalinda," Volos was now giving her a concerned look. "Hydra Sector of the Serpent Dome."

"Come to think of it, neither of you look like or smell like serpents," Uther said as he rubbed his chin and looked Nami and Law up and down. He then took notice of the monkey on the ground. He poked it with his security stick. "What manor of creature is this?"

"It's my pet," Nami stated carefully. She picked up the monkey and look a few steps backwards. She looked over at Law. He finally looked at her and nodded. They had the same thought. They needed to get away from this area and find out more information on where they were and what they were really dealing with. "Well, it was really nice to meet both of you, but we really have to go."

"If you wait a few minutes another tour will be coming by. You can catch a ride with them," Volos called to them as they started to walk off.

"That's okay," Nami called back to him. "We'll walk!"

The two rushed towards the city. It was about a half a mile from the mansion. Nami held on tightly to the monkey as they quickened their steps. "Okay, where the heck are we? They've never heard of the Grand Line or the New World. Where did that blob thing bring us? Another planet?"

"We'll just have to ask," Law said.

"Ask? After the looks those two gave us back there? Let's just find a library," Nami said as they entered the city.

Law ultimately agreed with her. They had to be careful with what they revealed to the people living here. It took them a couple hours to find the correct building they were looking for. Apparently the word 'library' didn't exist in this culture. When they finally did find the correct building, their growing hope was soon dashed. The books were written in a language that was unfamiliar to them.

"We're just going to have to ask," Law said as he slammed the book he was holding closed. He stood up and headed for the exit.

"And get thrown in whatever constitutes as the looney bin here," Nami grumbled as she stood up and followed after him. "I can't think anymore. I'm too hungry. Let's eat first."

"With what money? I highly doubt they use the same currency that we do," Law said as he looked around the city at the serpent people.

"Oh, I've been working on that since the first step into the city," Nami grinned as she held up a sack that jingled. She then led the way over to one of the restaurants. They sat down at a table and a young waitress walked over to them. Since the menus were in the same language as the books Nami asked the waitress to bring them something that tourists would love.

As Nami sipped on her drink, which she couldn't figure out what it was but thankful it was good enough to drink, her eyes wondered up to Law. He was staring down at the table, his mind where ever Neo was. She didn't say anything as she turned her attention back to her drink before letting her eyes wonder over the room. They were very busy. So their food probably wasn't going to come anytime soon.

"I am so sorry about your wait," The waitress said as she sat down their plates. "We've been short handed lately."

"Not a problem. We understand," Nami smiled. The two dug into their meal. Even though they couldn't place the food they were eating it was at least eatable and decent.

"Is there anything else I can get for you two?" The waitress asked when she walked back over to them some time later.

"You can tell us where we are," Law said bluntly.

"Trafalgar!" Nami hissed and dropped her head to the table, thinking they were going to get locked up.

"I know it might sound like strange thing to say, but we were in a battle and can't remember much," Law added calmly. Nami looked up at him and blinked. She wondered why she didn't think of that. Amnesia was a perfect cover for why they didn't know anything about the area they were in. And they _were_ recently in a battle.

"That's horrible," The waitress gave them a sympathetic look.

"We talked to some guards before and they said we were in Adalinda, Hydra Sector of the Serpent Dome," Law said. "Where is that exactly?"

"In the Time Stream," The waitress said as she sat down with them.

"We don't mean to interrupt your work," Nami said.

"Don't worry about it. I was about to go on break anyway," She smiled at Nami. "The rush hour is now over. We won't have many customers for a while. Oh, my name is Bindy."

"His name is Trafalgar Law. And you can call me Nami," Nami shook Bindy's outstretched hand.

"It's nice to meet you both. Now, back to what I was saying, you're in the Time Stream. This dome we're on is home to the serpent people. From your looks my guess is you're from another Time Dome. You must have arrived here after the Time Spheres stopped working," Bindy pushed her chair back on two legs.

"Time Spheres?" Nami asked. "What are those?"

"It's how we travel from Time Dome to Time Dome. I was only a kid when they stopped working five hundred years ago," She was staring up at the ceiling so she didn't see the concerned glances passing between Nami and Law. Nami mouthed to Law _'Five hundred years?'_ "Although, I don't believe I've ever heard of people who look like you living in the Time Stream. Then there are a lot of Time Domes so it's not impossible. What are you exactly?"

Bindy scanned Nami and Law.

"We're humans," Nami said carefully. She wasn't sure how much she should reveal.

"Humans, huh? Definitely never heard of you," Bindy said.

"Like you said, we're not from around here," Nami chuckle nervously. "So, what happened to cause the, um, Time Sphere's to stop working?"

"No one really knows for use. All we know is some guy is trying to take over the Time Stream," Bindy looked around the room to see if anyone needed anything.

"What guy?" Nami asked.

"Pendulum," Bindy said, once again not catching the concerned glances passing between Nami and Law. They carefully glanced over at the silent spider monkey sitting in the other chair with them. "He's been in constant battle for centuries with Time Empress Futura. People assume one of their battles must have knocked out the Time Spheres. It's kinda strange. You'd think, that after five hundred years, Empress Futura would have gotten them fixed by now. We've all been stuck in our own Time Domes sense. Some people had to relocate here when the spheres stopped working. Some are fine with it, while others are upset and want to go home. I sure hope this mess gets cleared up soon. I'd like to take a vacation to Desert Dome. They have such a nice and relaxing atmosphere there. I'm going to need it if I'm ever going to pass my entrance exams to get into the brainery."

"I thought you worked here," Nami said.

"I do, but I'm supposed to be studying for the entrance exams," Bindy sighed. "This is actually my families establishment. For some reason people keep quitting working here within a couple weeks of starting. I don't have much choice but to help out. We can't loose this place. It's my families only source of monetary. Plus, my papa would be so broken if he had to close this place. And to put an even bigger strain on things, our biggest client is hosting another ball in a few weeks."

"A ball?" Nami asked.

"I'm sure you noticed that big mansion just north of the city, that's the client. Their daughter is having her coming out into society party. They've hired us to supply to refreshments. It's such a strain on papa, especially since we can't keep anyone on our staff," Bindy sighed again.

"We noticed all the security around that place and a couple of the guards mentioned a kidnapping?" Nami said.

"Yeah, no one knows who keeps trying to take her. Probably just some low life punks who want to ransom their daughter off," Bindy dropped her chair back onto it's four legs. "They've got some serious security there now. It's impossible to take any type of machinery within a hundred yards of the place without it malfunctioning."

Law and Nami looked at their monkey. Now they understood what happened earlier with it. Bindy stood up. "Well, I should get back to work. If you have anymore questions I'd be happy to help you folks out. Must be rough not remembering anything about yourselves. If you need a job, or a place to stay, we can set you up here. We really could use the help too."

"Thanks. We'll think about it," Nami waved as Bindy walked off.

…

 **Author's Notes: Am I imagining things or has anyone else noticed in the anime, English version, during the Sabaody episodes the Straw Hats park their ship on 'Grove 41' but later on the keep saying their ship is at 'Grove 1'?**


	13. Bepo, Brook & Usopp

Bepo, Brook & Usopp

"G-G-Great," Usopp said as he shivered from the cold wind. "W-W-What do we d-d-do now?! I'm gonna die out here!"

"I wonder when it will be morning," Brook pondered as he looked around they area. It had started snowing since Pendulum's hologram disappeared. The monkey was showing them the location of the shard, but they couldn't go after it.

"We'll have to dig a snow cave," Bepo said as he started digging in the snow. Brook handed Usopp his jacket before they both helped Bepo dig in the snow. A little while later the three had their snow cave dug out. They climbed inside of it.

"Well, it's still pretty cold, but at least we're out of the wind," Usopp stated. He let out a loud sneeze and shivered. "Have all we need! Sure we do! Why couldn't the jerk give us, or me, some warm clothes to wear?!"

"You can lean against me and use my fur," Bepo said as he sat down by Usopp. The monkey was giving them a little light. It was just enough to make out each others shapes.

"I hope that thing doesn't melt the snow," Brook said as he stared at the monkey and it's holographic map. "Anyone know how to read this map?"

"Just guessing," Bepo said, leaning closer to the map. "I bet those three dots huddling together are us. And this single one, over here, is the shard."

"Well, that figures," Usopp said. "We're close to that stupid thing and yet I'm going to die before we even get there. ACHOO!"

"No point in getting upset about it," Brook replied calmly. "We just have to wait until the storm passes and for morning to break. Then we can see what kind of journey we really have ahead of us. Hey, for all we know the shard is just laying there waiting for us to come pick it up. Then, WHOOSH, we'll be back with our friends in no time."

"Speaking of friends," Usopp's voice trailed off as he looked at Bepo. "Will she be all right when she wakes up? Isn't this the first time, other than Luminous, that she's been separated from you Heart Pirates, right?"

Bepo ducked his head.

"Stay strong, my friend," Brook said kindly. "I truly believe she will be just fine. I bet she's already up and awaiting for our return. We all will be back with our friends shortly."

"That's right! We all saw what she was capable of on Luminous!" Usopp cheered. "She's even stronger now that she's got some training under her belt. She'll be just fine. ACHOO! Me on the other hand…ACHOO! ACHOO! ACHOO!"

"Maybe," Bepo mumbled low.

After that the mixed crew settled down. Occasionally, Bepo or Brook would stick their head out of their little snow home to see if the storm had passed and if it was daylight yet. A couple hours later light began to filter through the small opening in their cave. Brook poked his head out. "Ah, the sun is shining brightly, my friends. Although…I don't see the sun."

"That doesn't make sense," Usopp said as he and Bepo exited the cave. The sniper stared up at the sky. "How can the sun be shining when there is no sun?

"Hey, the shard is this way," Bepo said while pointing behind him.

"Let us be off then," Brook said as the three headed off.

They trekked for two hours before coming upon a large ice mountain. The three looked at the mountain then studied the monkey's map. They looked at the mountain again then looked back at the map. Brook and Usopp twitched and shouted at the same time. "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

Bepo tilted his head as he looked at the ice mountain. "The shard is in the mountain?"

Usopp grabbed the monkey and shook it. "Equipped us all with the necessary equipment! What a load of crap! How does that jerk expect us to drill into ice to get that stupid shard?! We need tools! Drills! Hammers! A blow torch! Dynamite! A rock! Anything is better than nothing!"

"Hey, you two, come check this out," Brook called. Bepo and Usopp looked at their skeleton companion. He was inside an opening in the side of the ice mountain, waving at them. They rushed over to the opening and stepped inside.

"Wow!" Usopp exclaimed when they got inside.

"It looks like someone is already working on carving this mountain out," Brook said as he walked around a large area that looked like a hotel lobby. On each side of the room was a large stair case that lead up to a balcony with several other rooms being carved out.

"What are they doing here? It kinda looks like a hotel," Usopp said as he inspected his surroundings. "And who would want to live in an ice hotel?"

"It looks like the shard is in fact here, but it's several feet behind the wall of ice," Brook said as he looked at their map.

"Papa, look!" The three pirates whipped around when someone shouted. They froze when they saw a small group of bunnies standing on their hind legs, holding several different tools, appearing in the mountain.

"Oh, good. I was worried that the foundation was going to keep on ignoring us," The tallest male bunny said. "But, I have to ask, why are you three out here without the necessary winter gear? It's dangerous to wonder around this area without thick parkas."

"Well, there's a good explanation for that, sir," Brook started. "You see, we were talking with some friends of ours when this strange or-"

"Shut up!" Usopp whacked Brook on the head. He then grabbed the skeleton and Bepo then dragged them away from the bunnies. "Have you lost your mind?! We can't tell them anything or else that Pendulum guy might hurt Neo!"

"Oh, right," Brook nodded. "I forgot."

"What do we do?" Bepo asked.

"We just play along with them. He said they were waiting for someone. We'll just pretend to be those guys and help out here. That way we can get the shard easily," Usopp explained. "They have tools to work with while we have nothing."

"Right," Bepo and Brook nodded.

Usopp stood up and walk back over to the bunnies. "Yes, we are those who you had been waiting for. Just tell us what to do and we'll do it. Although, we are kind of new to this so we might need some pointers on what we are doing."

"That's not a problem," The tall male bunny smiled. He had dark grey fur with black markings under his dark blue parka. "I'm just glad we finally have help. We were never going to get this done on our own. My name is Gnash. Bijou, do you have the spare parkas?"

"Yes, papa," Bijou, the only female, was solid white wearing a silver parka. She pulled out three spare parkas for the pirates. She handed it to them. "I'm Bijou."

"So warm!" Usopp exclaimed as he snuggled into the coat. "Thank you! I'm Usopp. That's Brook and Bepo."

"Welcome," Gnash said as he pointed to the other three bunnies with them. "These are my sons, Kobet and Tippy. And their friend Jigsaw."

"Hi," The boy bunnies greeted. Kobet had the same color as his dad while Tippy was a lighter grey with darker fur at the points of his paws and ears. Jigsaw was a chestnut brown bunny with a white belly.

"Let's get started," Kobet said as he and the other boys handed out the tools.

"What exactly are we doing?" Brook asked.

"We're carving out the ice," Jigsaw gave Brook a puzzled look. "Are you sure you're from the foundation?"

"Of course," Brook laughed. He turned away from the bunny and growled to himself. "This sounds more like a job for Franky!"

"We should get started," Gnash said. "We have less than two hours now."

"Less than two hours?" Bepo asked. "What do you mean?"

"Let me guess," Tippy said as he spun a tool in his paw. "You three are originally from the warm sector?"

"Warm sector?" Bepo questioned.

"Of course we are!" Usopp jumped in front of Bepo. He glared back at the bear. "Idiot! I told you to play along, did I?!"

"I'm sorry," Bepo bowed his head.

"Ah," Tippy growled. "The foundation messed up again."

"What do you mean?" Brook asked.

"The foundation does nothing but place ridiculous demands on its workers," Bijou explained. "They won't supple enough workers to meet their deadlines. They want this ice lodge done in three months. But it can't be done with such few workers. Then they have the nerve to complain when their rich clients are unhappy about it."

"I think I understand," Brook nodded. "But what did you mean by having less than two hours?"

"This place is constantly bombarded with winter storms. It get so cold that we can only work for two hours a day," Tippy replied.

"Only two hours a day?!" Brook and Usopp shouted.

"What's wrong?" Bijou asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Brook and Usopp waved at her with fake smiled. They turned from her and cried dramatically. "Two hours a day? It's going to take us forever to get that stupid shard!"

…

Neo stood out on the balcony. She was still holding onto Law's hat as she stared up at the dome ceiling's artificial nighttime scene. Even though it was identical to the night sky, she hated it. It was fake. She wanted the real thing. And she wanted Law.

"Princess," Elian called as he flew over to her. The sprites were inside preparing the bed for her to sleep in. Or Elian and Velocity were turning down the covers. Celeste was too busy bouncing up and down on the bed to help. "Please, lay down and get some rest. It will do you no good to sit up and worry. You must take care of yourself."

She didn't move.

"He's right," Velocity added. "Things will look better in the morning. And I'm sure your helpmate and friends would want you to rest instead of staying up late worrying."

"You're right," Neo sighed, pulling herself away from the fake sky above. She walked over to the bed to lay down, still in her black dress. She couldn't bring herself to take it off and dress in the clothes they had here. She laid down and held his hat to her nose as Velocity and Elian used their magic to pull the covers up over her. She stared where Law should be. Instead of him, Celeste was laying on the pillow. The little orange sprite had already fallen asleep.

Velocity eventually laid down near Celeste on the pillow as Elian laid down at the foot of the bed. The sprites quickly fell asleep. Neo wasn't as lucky. Hours later she was still awake, staring at the spot where Law should had been. Neo clenched Law's hat. She closed her eyes as she breathed in his scent and tried to get some sleep.

…

 **Author's Notes: Howdy all! :)**

 **Guest: Yea, Zoro's fun. But the Dark King says Grove 1 too. I'm wondering if it has something to do with english and Japanese words not matching up so well, because it's such an obvious mistake. Then I could be wrong. Sometimes obvious mistakes aren't so easy to notice.**

 **Apple Bloom: That's okay. It's supposed to be confusing. You can just think of it as being in a different world or dimension.**


	14. Sanji

Sanji

Sanji puffed on his cigarette as he mulled over his mission. He turned his eyes to his only companion. The monkey's lifeless eyes stared right at him. "Must you keep staring at me like that? You're creeping me out."

The monkey responded by showing him a holographic map. Sanji studied it for a few minutes before speaking up again. "So, it's in this city. I guess you're handing after all. It would have been a serious pain if I had to look for this thing the traditional way."

Sanji stood up and smothered out his dying cigarette. He walked along the edges of the building. He was looking for a fire escape, but the building didn't have one. "I guess this place isn't big on safety. Ah well, I don't need a ladder anyway."

Sanji walked to the edge of the building and jumped over to a rooftop that was lower than the one he was currently on. Before he jumped the monkey leaped up onto the cook's shoulder. He maneuvered along the rooftops until he got onto one low enough that he could jump down to the street. When he got to the ground he noticed why the buildings didn't have any fire escapes. The locals all had wings on their backs. Some of them, their wings and their skin were snow white while their hair ranged in natural hair colors and unnatural hair colors. While others looked like falcons, eagles and other birds.

"Well, that explains that," Sanji shoved his hands into his pockets and started to walk along the streets. "No point to fire escapes if you can easily fly out your window in an emergency." As he walked along he took in the surroundings and the people. He noticed that the majority of the people he saw looked like thugs. They were grouped together, sporting some kind of insignia for the gang they were in. Other people would keep their eyes down as they walked along. They didn't make eye contact with any of those who looked like they were in a gang, mothers would hurry their children along, men, the elderly and teenagers would step aside for the gang members.

One gang member picked up at stone. He tossed it up and down a couple of times before tossing it, breaking a near by window. A store worker came running out and demanded who through the rock. "I did, pops. Got a problem with that?"

"N-No sir, it was all my fault," The store worker wrung his hands as he back way. "I should have been more careful with what I was doing."

"Sickening," Sanji narrowed his eyebrows, but continued walking. While walking the monkey guided him with the map. Eventually it led him to a courtyard where there was some kind of cooking contest going on.

As he watched the contest he quickly picked up that there were two favorites among the ten bird people cooking. One of them was a dove while the other was a falcon. The falcon was obviously in the gang that plagued the city. He was being cheered on by gang members. The gang members were also throwing out profanities at the dove guy.

And while they were cooking, other gang members would through things at the cooks, all of the cooks, but the one who was one of them. The cooks did their best to ignore the almost rioting crowd. Occasionally picking out whatever projectile item that fell in their food.

Sanji lit himself another cigarette. "Tough area."

When the monkey, who was still hanging on his shoulder, chirped at him, he turn this attention to it. It showed him the map again. The shard was extremely close. He followed the map and came upon a display area. Sitting in the middle of a table was ten golden bars and a trophy that had a shard pierced on top of it.

Sanji leaned closer and inspected the trophy. It didn't show his reflection. It was the shard he was looking for. He turned to one of the bird creatures standing near by. "Excuse me, this is a cooking contest, right?"

"Thats right," The bird nodded.

"And this," Sanji nodded towards the table. "Is the prize for winning?"

"Of course it is. What are you stupid or something?" Some gang members walked up to Sanji. The one who spoke looked Sanji up and down. "Who are you? You're not from around here."

"No, I'm not," Sanji blew out some smoke. "I'm kinda on a vacation here, just passing through, really."

"Good," The gang member crossed his arms. "We don't like strangers in our territory. The sooner you leave the better."

"I take it that it's too late for anyone else to enter the contest?" Sanji asked. The gang members laughed.

"You are stupid," Another gang members said.

"Don't blame him," A third gang member said. "Like he said, he's not from here."

"This contest started last month. Hundreds always enter in this thing. And our boss always wins the contest," The first gang member who had spoken before spoke again. "Just like he's going to win this year."

"Not if Colman keeps it up," The second gang member jerked his chin at the dove cook. "He's totally into it this year. And he's passed all the preliminaries."

"Shut up!" The third gang member grabbed the second by the front of his shirt. "The boss won't loose to a loser like _him_."

"Chill! You two are acting like hatchlings," The first gang member ordered. The other two released each other and straightened up. "If Colman becomes a real threat then the boss will have it taken care of."

Sanji's eyebrow twitched at that. He didn't say anything as the group walked off from him. His eyes wondered back over the contest in progress. He was thinking about his predicament and thinking about what Pendulum had said.

 _"You all are currently safe for the moment. I, however, cannot say how long that will last since I don't really know all of the areas you are in."_

 _"I've been watching you all for a long time. And I believe you have all the skills necessary to succeed in your missions."_

"Sure you didn't know anything about these areas. And, yet, here I am. The _cook_ of the Straw Hats being dumped, wherever this place is, during a _cooking contest_ ," Sanji mumbled to himself. He took a long drawl on his cigarette as his eyes wondered over the crowd and the cooks. "Lied to again. So is this guy just after the shards like he said or is Neo his real target and these shards are just a way to keep us busy? No, that can't be it. If he really wanted Neo, why reveal himself to us at all? Why not just take Neo and leave us back on Purlieu?"

Sanji sighed and shook his head. "I can figure that out later. Right now, I have to figure out how to get that shard. Since I'm alone, fighting isn't an option, at least not yet. Some of these guys look pretty tough."

Sanji's attention was broken when a voice rang out over the group. "Times up! Now the judges will sample the dishes and will soon announce those who will be advancing."

About thirty minutes later the voice rang out over the crowd again. He announced the names of the winners moving on to the next round. The only name Sanji knew was Colman. At the sound of that guy's name, Sanji's eyes searched for those gang members he was talking to before. He found them. They were several yards from him, joined by other members of their gang and their boss who had walked over from his cooking area.

Their boss didn't look like he was happy. Sanji watched as the boss talked to his group. The guy was obviously upset. Soon a menacing look passed through the group. They laughed and nodded then fanned out and disappeared into the crowd that was starting to leave the area.

Sanji then noticed Colman packing up his gear. He was being watched by the gang members. Once he was finished, Colman, obviously unaware of being watched, slung his bag over his shoulder and walked off. The gang members, using the passing crowd as a shield, began to follow after Colman. Sanji shoved his hands into his pockets and followed after the gang.

At one point, Sanji lost them in the crowd. He found them again when he heard sounds of someone being beaten up. He rounded a cornered and found just that. Colman was being ganged upon by about ten bird people. Sanji wasted no time in jumping in to help. He knocked the gang away from Colman with a round house kick. "No matter the species, it's just pathetic to gang up on someone. I thought you all might be strong, but you're just pathetic lowlifes."

"It's you," One of the gang members Sanji was talking to before pointed at him. "I don't know who you are, but you shouldn't interfere with our business."

"You're beating up someone who obviously doesn't have the skills to fight back. I'm _making_ it my business," Sanji flicked away his cigarette as the gang charged at him. With a barrages of kicks, Sanji defeated the gang with no problem. "Hm, guess I was wrong about you people being strong. You're all weak. You just look strong."

Sanji walked over to Colman and helped him sit up. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yea-Ah!" Colman grabbed his right arm.

"Okay, that was a stupid question. Of course you're not fine. Come on. I'll help you get some help," Sanji said as he helped Colman get up off the ground and grabbed his bag.

"W-Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Colman asked.

"We'll talk about that later," Sanji said as he assisted Colman away from their current area. "Just guide me on how to get you to the hospital."

A little over an hour later, Sanji waited patently in the waiting room of the hospital. While he waited a dove lady, wearing a simple faded yellow dress and a sling around her neck, came rushing in. "Where is he?! Where's Colman?! Where is my mate?!"

"Calm down, ma'am. Your mate is being looked at by the medico," The attendant said while flipping through some papers. "The man who brought him in is still here, if you wish to speak with him."

"Yes! Where is he?!" The attendant pointed over at Sanji. The lady rushed over to him. "What happened?! Who are you?!"

"Calm down, ma'am," Sanji waved his hands at her. "I'm just-"

"Tell me what happened!"

"Leta?" Colman's voice broke in before anyone else could say anything. "What are you doing here?

"Colman! I heard you got beat up! Where else would I be?!" Leta rushed over to him. Colman was now sporting several bruises, cuts and a broken arm. "Your arm!"

"It's not that bad," Colman smiled.

"Not that bad?!" Leta cried, tears streaming down her white cheeks. "Your arm is broken! How are you supposed to cook like that?! You can't! You can't win like that! We're never going to be able to move away from here!"

"Calm down, honey," Colman begged. "I-it's not over yet. I can still cook like this."

"And win?" Sanji finally said. "I mean no disrespect, but you can't win like that. I watched you all during the contest today. It can't be done."

"Who are you?" Leta asked as if she hadn't seen Sanji just seconds before.

"Leta, this is the man who helped me, um," Colman looked to Sanji to fill in the rest.

"Sanji," Sanji nodded at them. "And I might have a solution to your problem."

"Really?" Colman asked. "Why would you help us?"

"Can we talk in private?" Sanji asked, eyes scanned around the busy hospital.

"Of course," Colman nodded. "We can talk at our home."

Sanji remained quiet as he followed Colman and Leta to their rundown little house that was only a couple blocks from the hospital. He remained silent as Leta helped Colman sit down. Colman then turned his attention to Sanji. "So, why will you help us? Not that we're ungrateful for your offer."

"I need the trophy that comes with winning," Sanji stated simple. He looked down at the monkey standing beside his chair.

"But we need that money to move away from here! We can't let our babies be hatched here in this place!" Leta cried.

"Babies?" That's when Sanji noticed the sling the woman was wearing. Inside it was two speckled eggs.

"I'm sorry, but we can't give you the prize money," Colman said.

"I don't want the prize money," Colman and Leta gave him a surprised look. "All I want is the trophy that comes with the prize money."

"Why would you want that instead of the money?" Colman asked.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," Sanji replied. Colman and Leta exchanged confused glances. "I know it sounds strange, but we're both backed into a corner here. From what I can gather, you two want away from this area because of the gang, right?"

"That's right," Leta nodded. "We want the prize so we can move out of this city. That gang has done nothing but mess everything up. As you can see from our own house, those gang memers have no problem breaking in and taking whatever they please. We can't let out little ones live like this."

Sanji ran his eyes over the house. It was almost completely bare. Colman then spoke up. "They even steal our we eat we have to go out and buy food for one day only."

"Then let me help you. You'll be helping me in return," Sanji said. "I'm a cook as well. All you have to do is teach me your local recipes."

"Can he do that?" Leta asked.

"There's never been anything in the rules about switching cooks due to injuries. As long as the new cooking makes the recipe that has been submitted," Colman said thoughtfully.

"We have a deal then?" Sanji asked.

"Very well. We accept your help," Colman nodded. "The final round is in two weeks. We don't have much time."

"Just show me what to do," Sanji smiled.

"Let's get started then," Colman said, leading Sanji to the kitchen.

Sanji about swallowed his cigarette when Colman brought out the food they were going to use to practice with. It was an array of bugs. Sanji sweat dropped. "Oh boy."

…

"And this is where the library would be," Velocity said as she lead everyone into the room. The sprites were giving her a tour of the house. "Although, you won't be able to read the text so I guess it's kind of pointless to show you this room."

"What kind of language is this?" Neo asked, pulling out one of the books and looked at the title. The words looked like nothing but lines haphazardly thrown together.

"It's an ancient language of the Time Keepers," Elian replied. "Not everyone in the Time Stream can read it."

"Time Keepers?" Neo questioned, pushing the book back into its place and returned her hand to Law's hat.

"Empress Futura and her royal guards are Time Keepers. Pendulum is also a Time Keeper, but obviously has gone rogue," Elian explained. "They guard the flow of time to make sure nothing happens to it. It's a very delicate string that needs to be protected."

"I know!" Velocity snapped her fingers. "I could read to you! What do you like to read? You like to read, right?"

"I really like anything," Neo turned to the sprite as she flew up to the bookshelf. She scanned over a few books before finding the one she was looking for. She used her magic to pull the book off the shelf. When the book flew over to her it shrunk down until it was small enough for Velocity to hold.

She turned back to Neo. "Would you like me to? I can. At least that way we can pass time quicker than just sitting around staring at the walls. I just love this book. I've literally read it over a hundred times."

"If you really want to," Neo replied. "And if it's no trouble."

"No trouble at all, Princess," Velocity said, she flew herself and the book over to the one of the high back chairs in the room. She clicked on the lamp by the chair then settled into its thick cushion.

"You don't have to call me princess," Neo said, she walked over to the other chair.

"Apologies," Velocity replied. "It's our customs to address those with a title by their titles. It's mostly a habit, but also respect. Even those who are best friends with those of titles call them by their titles."

"Very well then. If you wish to call me princess then feel free to do so," Neo sat down on the chair, Law's hat in her lap, and gave them a small nod. Elian sat down on the arm of the chair is sister was sitting on, he crossed his arms and legs as Celeste laid down on the back of the chair. She was on her stomach, kicking her feet while humming to herself as Velocity started to read.

A couple chapters into the book Neo noticed some similarities to the story and to the time Law had become a Warlord. The hero in the book was trying to become a solider for the king. Velocity's voice faded away as her mind drifted back to that day…

Neo was leaning her back against the wall of the sub, near the exit, with her feet slightly out in front of her and her bangs falling over her eyes. Law had ordered her to stay inside the sub. He didn't want the Navy to see her. She understood and obeyed him, but she couldn't stop herself from being concerned about the whole ordeal. She really didn't like the idea that he, a wanted pirate, was just waltzing right up to Navy Headquarters. So many things could go wrong here.

She had no idea how long Law would be out there. And she had no clue how long she was standing there waiting for him to return. She was so concerned about him that she didn't even hear the door open and close or notice him standing beside her. He stroked her hair. "Neo?"

She pushed off the wall, pressed her forehead to his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. He held her in that position for a while before sweeping her up into his arms and carried her to their room. None of the crew questioned them as they made their way through the sub. Once in the room, he sat down on the bed with her in his lap. "Talk to me. What's wrong?"

"I don't know," She mumbled into his neck. "I'm just worried, I guess."

"There's no need for that. Everything went as planned," Neo nodded slightly as he rubbed her back. "Now, let's see if I can get you to stop worrying."

Before she could even think of what he meant by that, Law began to tickle her sides. She squealed and tensed. "L-Law!"

"Stop worrying now," Law ordered as he continued his assault.

"H-How can I-ah aha- worry when- ha ha- I can't stop- aha ha- laughing?!" She lost her balance and fell back onto the bed. For a split second she thought she was free and took a deep breath. But Law followed her. He straddled over her and began his assault again. He got her laughing so hard that she couldn't even form her crystals to assist her. "Okay! Ha aha! Okay! I'll stop worrying! Ha! Ha!"

"Good girl," Law stopped tickling her and smiled. He leaned down and kissed her…

Velocity's voice slowly began to filter back into Neo's ears as she stroked her fingers over his hat and choked back her tears. She rubbed the tears out of her eyes and continued listened to the sprite talked for a while longer before she became tired and fell asleep.

…

 **Author's Notes: Ah, Sanji, I think I have soft spot for him, despite his constant state of perverted thoughts. Hmmm…it looks like all of you, who are commenting, have the same conclusion about Neo's possible condition. Still, I won't confirm or deny anything, since I don't know if everyone who's reading this has come to a conclusion or not. I'll let the story do that. We're getting closer to it.**

 **PuddyKatz: ^_^ hee hee**

 **sarge1130: Hi! Yup, clings to his hat. It helps keep her sanity, as well as her three little companions. They did pick up on the fact she a delicate person. I had to make sure I gave her something to help her not loose her mind. Usopp's a fun character to make suffer. :)**

 **Apple Bloom: Absolutely more to come! :) As far as I can tell, this one is going to be a few chapters longer than the previous one. I'm tempted to go back and rewrite Neo and Law's story to follow along with the actual story line of One Piece. Have to wait for this one to get closer to the end though. But more Neo and Law is 'very' tempting.**

 **Mei: Yeah, I really tried to make this as original as possible. I noticed that everyone "always" makes their OCs either marine or pirate/becomes a pirate (despite Neo becoming part of Law's crew it wasn't her intention on doing so, she just fell into it and couldn't/didn't want to leave) and has devil fruit powers. There's very little who don't go that way. I definitely didn't want a Mary Sue. So I wracked my brain for this one.**


	15. Shachi & Luffy

Shachi and Luffy

"This is just great," Shachi said as he scanned out into the desert as far as he could see. "We're not prepared for the desert."

"Hey, Heart Pirate guy," Luffy called.

"Shachi," Shachi turned to find Luffy squatting down in front of their monkey companion.

"This monkey has some kind of map," Luffy pointed at the thing. Shachi walked over and kneeled down. "Are those dots supposed to be us?"

"It looks like the shard we're looking for is fairly close by," Shachi said as he studied the map.

"Then let's go!" Luffy grabbed the monkey and ran off in the direction of the shard.

"Hold on, Straw Hat!" Shachi called, but it was too late. Luffy was already several yards away from him. He stood up and quickly followed. "Straw Hat! This is crazy! We can't just dash out into the desert like this!"

"Huh? Why not?" Luffy called back from over his shoulder.

"We don't know what's out there! We don't even know where we are!" Shachi pointed out.

"Who cares? The shard is right there!" Luffy said, showing Shachi the map. They were closing in on the shard. Not long after that they came upon the shard sticking out of the sand. The two huffed and puffed as they regained their breath. "See? Now we can go find the others."

"You know, Straw Hat, when something seems so easy usually it's not," Shachi stated.

"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked as he started to walk closer to the shard. "The shard's right here. Now we can grab it and g-"

Luffy reached for the shard, but it quickly moved away from him. It moved several yards before stopping. Luffy protested as he got up to go after it. Once again, when he got close to it, the shard moved away. He growled and tried again. This time he dove after it when it was within arms reach and once again the shard moves, leaving Luffy with a mouth full of sand. He coughed out the sand when he pulled his head up. "Hey! What's the big idea?!"

"Careful, Straw Hat," Shachi tried to caution Luffy, but the captain wasn't listening to him. Luffy just kept trying to grab the shard. And this kept pulling them farther and farther away from their only landmark and source of shade. They had to get that shard and quick. Shachi started to help Luffy by trying to corner or head off the shard. Nothing they did worked.

Even Luffy's rubber abilities did nothing to help them. He'd throw out his arms to try and grab the shard, but it would easily dodge him. He even tried to punch the sand to stop it. Nothing. Luffy panted as he plopped down. "I need water."

"That rock formation is no longer in sight," Shachi pointed out. "If we don't figure out something soon, we're done for."

"Why can't we get that thing? It's right there," Luffy whined. Both boys turned their attention back to the shard. As they stared at it the reason they couldn't catch it made itself known. A large part of the sand's color stared to turn light green with purple spots. The shard was actually in the mouth of a lizard. "Huh? A lizard?"

"No wonder we couldn't catch it," Shachi said, wiping sweat from his chin.

"Hm," Luffy stared at the lizard. "Is it just me…Or does that thing have a smug expression on his face?"

Shachi looked at Luffy before turning his attention to the lizard. He studied it. Sure enough, the lizard _did_ have a smug look on it's scaly face. The lizard's tongue slide out from underneath the shard. Luffy roared as he jumped to his feet. "Stupid lizard! Give me that shard!"

"Straw Hat! Stop!" Shachi jumped up and followed once again. "He's going to get us killed out here! Straw Hat!"

"Give it to me!" Luffy lunged at the lizard. And once again the chase led them even farther into the desert. This time the lizard kept turning to look at them, still wearing the smug look to the point it was now taunting them. "I'm going to barbecue you!"

Luffy charged at the lizard. This time the lizard burrowed into the sand and took off. Luffy paused at the change then panicked. "It's gone! How do we find it now?!"

"We still have the monkey," Shachi pointed out.

"Oh, right," Luffy turned his attention to the quiet machine with them. He grabbed it. "Hey, monkey guy! Help us out here! Come on! Do something! Where'd that lizard go? You know, the one who was talking to us before?! Tell him to come back here! I wanna talk to him!"

"I don't think that's going to work. We have to do this ourselves," Shachi said. "Beside the monkey can still track the lizard. So we'll find it again. What we really need is water and shelter."

"And where are we going to find that?" Luffy asked so casually. "We're in a desert."

"Well, we _had_ shelter until _you_ ran off!" Shachi screeched.

"Then let's go back," Luffy replied, carefree.

"Are you kidding?! We lost sight of that rock long ago! There's no way we can figure out which way it was! If you had just waited we could have gotten our bearings down before rushing out here! Then we could have found our way back!"

"No point in worrying about that now," Luffy put his hands behind his head.

"You've got to be kidding! How does your crew put up with you?! If we don't find water soon we're going to dehydrate!"

"Right," Luffy smiled. "Which way do we go?"

Shachi crashed to the ground at that point, rivers of tears flowing from his eyes. "That's it. I'm dead. Captain, Neo, Penguin, rest of the crew I'm sorry."

"You're funny," Luffy laughed. "We're not going to die out here. We'll find water and then we'll find that lizard. Trust me. This is going to be fun."

"You're an idiot."

…

"Make sure the water's not too hot!" Elian called from outside the bathroom.

"Geez! You're starting to sound like our mother!" Velocity snapped back. She was standing on the edge of the tub as Neo was relaxing in it. "I apologize for my brother. He's usually not like this."

"It's fine," Neo replied as she leaned back against the tub. "The water is just right."

"Just right! Just right!" Celeste sang as she did air cartwheels in the air over the tub. She then did an air dive, stripping her clothes before hitting the water. A drop of water hit Velocity in the face.

"Celeste! Will you stop joking around?!" Velocity demanded.

"Velo no fun! Velo no fun!" Celeste chirped while splashing water up at Velocity.

"Cut that out!" Velocity demanded again. Neo watched the scene before as she recalled a memory very similar to the one happening now. It was the first time she was able to bring out his inner child.

It happened a couple weeks after Neo and Law got married…

She was relaxing in a hot bath when he came in and sat on the edge of the tub. "How long are you going to stay in here?"

"I haven't decided," Neo hummed as she stretched out. "Is my pirate boy jealous?"

"I'm _not_ jealous. You've just been in here for almost two hours," Law shot back with a smirk. He poked a finger in the water. "Let me guess, you're using your magic over the elements to keep the water hot."

Neo smiled. She crossed her left leg over her right knee and poked then rubbed Law on the arm with her foot. "What's the point of having this type of magic if I don't use it the way I want?"

"I can think of more _fun_ ways to use your magic than a bath," Law said suggestively as he ran a hand over her leg. Her cheeks flushed at his meaning as she ducked down until the water came up to her nose. She blew bubbles in the water as he chuckled. Even though they were married she was still adjusting to the changes it brought to their relationship and could become shy about it. Law found it very cute and just loved to playfully tease her when he could. He reached into the water and plucked out her hand. He placed a kiss on her wet skin before inspecting her wrinkling fingers. "You're going to become a permanent prune if you keep this up, love."

"Well, then husband of mine," Neo said while forming a wind crystal down by his feet where he couldn't see it. "I guess you'll just have to join me and become a prune as well so we'll match."

"You know I take showers not baths."

"I'll just have to change that then."

Before Law could question her, she used her wind crystal to knock him into the tub with her. She laughed when he surfaced. He spit out water that had gotten in his mouth then turned a playful glare and growl at her. "You are so getting punished for that, you devious little princess."

"Bring it, pirate boy," Neo said and the two began to splash each other. It when on for several minutes before they realized their little water war had seeped out of the bathroom. The two scrambled out of the tub. Law grabbed a towel to mop up the water. He headed out the bathroom as she called to him, while wrapping a towel around herself. "Law, be careful. It's slick."

No sooner she got the words out his feet slipped out from underneath him. She used her wind crystals to catch him before he could hit the floor, turned him and placed him on his knees. She hovered over and kneeled in front of him. "I told you it was slick."

"It's your fault. Now clean this place up," Law tossed the towel over her head.

"You were splashing too! Besides, it wouldn't have happened if you just admitted you were jealous!" Neo jerked the towel off her head and smirked at him.

"I wasn't jealous at all," Law said, leaning closer to her. He took her chin in his fingers. "In fact I-"

Law paused when he noticed her flushed face and her eyes looking past him. He turned to see what she was looking at. Several crew mates had poked their heads into the door that Law apparently didn't close all the way. They were just staring at the scene before them.

Neo's face tinted a darker shade of red as one of her hands automatically went to her towel to make sure it didn't fall off while Law managed to regain his typical, everyday smirk like nothing out of the ordinary was happening. "Is there something you all need?"

"Sorry, Captain," One of them said. "We just heard a noise and uh…"

"Get lost!" Law ordered.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" They all jumped and ran off.

Just then Penguin walked by. He paused at the door and took in Neo and Law's current position of being all wet and on the floor. He reached in for the door handle and shook his head. "I don't want to know."

He closed the door then heard both Law and Neo before hurrying away while still shaking his head. "W-Well, ahem, that wasn't embarrassing at all. Law, what are you doing?"

"Giving you your punishment."

"What are yo-Ah! Leave my towel alone! Law, stop that! Law!"

…Neo sunk lower into the water. The memory made her heart flutter, but it also made her miss him even more. She fingered his ring, her eyes drifting over to his hat on the bathroom counter, as she mentally told herself that she could do this. She told herself that he was coming for her, they all were. That he would be by her side again soon. Tears stung her eyes before falling and mixing into the bathwater below.

…

 **Author's Notes: Oh, poor Shachi. I have to torture him for a while. 3 But I thought he would be fun to pair up with Luffy for this. ^_^**

 **LilyAllycia: Hi! :) You're right on the mark! And no you're not late to the party at all! Welcome to the party! I did call it that intentionally. I like picking titles that hint to what the story is about.**

 **Mei: Yea, sad. :'(**

 **PuddyKatz: And he keeps getting sweeter! ^_^**

 **Apple Bloom: Yup. Birdies.**

 **tentenbaby: ^_^**


	16. Zoro & Franky

Zoro & Franky

"So this thing is a machine, huh?" Franky said as he stared down at their new companion.

"Who cares?" Zoro shrugged. "Let's just get this started so we can get out of here. How does this thing work? Do we need to press a button or something?"

Franky picked up the monkey and looked it over. "I don't see any kind of controls on it. All right, monkey, you're supposed to show us where this shard is, so show us where the shard is."

The monkey beeped then formed a holographic map. It showed three dots. The map expanded into a larger one. Another dot appeared on the map. An arrow appeared in front of the first three dots then strobed in place. Franky rubbing his chin. "I'm going to assume those three dots are us and that fourth one is the shard. It looks like it might be in that city."

"At least we're not far from it," Zoro said as he walked back to the edge of the cliff. He looked over the edge. It was a long way to the bottom. There was no way they could jump down and not get injured. "And how do we get down from here?"

The monkey freed itself from Franky's grip. It ran a few feet before looking back at the cyborg. "I think it wants us to follow it."

"It better not get us lost," Zoro gripped.

"Seriously?" Franky asked as they started to follow their monkey tour guide. The monkey lead them through a forest and right to a path that would lead them down the side of the cliff. It took them a couple hours for them to reach the bottom of the cliff. At the bottom they found a well worn path and looked filled with treads. Some of them looked like regular shoe prints while others were clearly not human. The nonhuman ones were larger and had straight shapes. "What do you think made those?"

"Who cares? Let's just get going already," Zoro grumbled. The two set off down the path. After a while of walking Franky shifted into his tank form so Zoro could ride on him and they could get to their destination faster. They looked up when more flying machines flew past them. The little group appeared to be racing with each other.

"Whoa! Now this is my kinda city," Franky exclaimed when they finally reached the city. It was filled with machines. Robots were doing everything, even carrying people around.

"You stupid piece of junk! I didn't order this!" Someone shouted. Franky and Zoro turned their attention to a well dressed man at a food vender. The man stood up and knocked the food off the table and the robot down.

"I am so sorry, sir," The robot coward down. "But this is what you ordered. I wrote it down on your tick-"

"Silence!" The man kicked the robot in the head. "How dare you backtalk to me, you inferior piece of junk?!"

"Such insolence," The woman sitting at the table with the man gave the robot a smile that was very condescending. "You cyborgs need always remember your place."

"Cyborgs?" Franky questioned as he and Zoro took a closer look at the robot on the ground. That's when they noticed it wasn't a robot at all. It _was_ a cyborg. And blood was leaking down his face. "Is what's going on here what I thinks going on here?"

"It looks like it," Zoro nodded, looking around the city again. At a closer inspection he found that all of the robots were actually cyborgs. And they didn't look happy or content at doing their jobs. In fact they looked miserable. They looked like slaves.

"You should be dismantled and sold for scraps!" The man shouted. He brought his leg back.

"No! Please don't hurt him!" A woman came running out of the vender's tent. Two other people sitting down jumped up and grabbed her. "Stop it!"

"Why are you protecting that machine?" One of the guys who grabbed her asked. "It's just a thing, not worthy of the space it takes up."

"Die!" The man kicked his foot towards the cyborg. The woman screamed and closed her eyes.

"Now that's not very nice," Franky said while grabbing the man's foot.

"Unhand me! How dare you touch me, you stupid machine!" The man screamed and tried to free himself. He brought his other foot up to kicked Franky in the head. The attack was so fast that neither Franky or Zoro saw it. The man sent Franky flying several yards away.

"Now that was uncalled for," Zoro pointed one of his swords at the man's throat. "You're the one who attacked someone."

"What are you talking about? I didn't attack anyone. I was putting a machine in its place. Just like you should do with _your_ robot!" The man snapped.

"My robot? What are you talking about?" Zoro asked. The monkey scattered at Zoro and showed the map again, but the swordsman didn't notice. The map was showing the fourth dot coming towards them.

Franky got up and brushed himself off. "Well, this isn't what I was expecting, but since you want to fight, then we'll fight."

"You can't be serious," The man said. His muscles started to expand and he got taller and hairier. " _You_ are a worthless machine. And _you_ need to learn your place."

"Hm?" Zoro started at the man. He now looked like an over grown gorilla, but still with most of his skin showing and his clothes in tact. He looked around and finally noticed that the people in this place weren't human. They were some kind of human animal hybrids.

"You ready?" Franky asked when he rejoined Zoro's side. More of these strange people morphed into gorillas and joined the man.

"Yeah," Zoro nodded. The monkey jumped upon Franky's shoulders. It chitter and squawked as the fourth dot continued to get closer to them.

The group was about to engage in their rumble when something large flew down and grabbed onto Zoro and Franky then flew back into the sky with them. The two pirates shouted in annoyance and surprise. A female voice shouted to them over the rushing wind. "Just hold on!"

A few seconds later, Zoro and Franky was dropped onto the ground next to a very worn down house. They looked up to see a young teenager riding on a cyborg in the shape of a flying machine. "You two must be insane to pick a fight with Rumble."

The cyborg landed on the ground. Its side opened up and laid down a ramp. The girl then came out of the cyborg, revealing that she was in a hovering chair. She took off her helmet, letting down her long white hair as the cyborg shifted into a human form with navy blue hair and eyes. He stood beside her. "What were you thinking?"

"What are you talking about? Who's Rumble?" Franky asked.

"And _you_ ,"She took off her goggles, revealing her orange colored eyes, and pointed at Franky. "Do you want to be dismantled and killed? You should know better than to speak out like that!"

"Seriously, what are you talking about?" Franky asked again as he and Zoro stared at these two new people.

"Cressida, they are not registered in the database," The cyborg said. "No record at all. They're not from this Time Dome."

"Seriously?!" Cressida looked up at her cyborg. She then shot her eyes over to the pirates. "Then how did you two get here?"

"On our ship," Zoro lied.

"Ship? It's impossible for ships to travel between Time Domes," Cressida narrowed her eyebrows at them. "Seriously, _where_ did you come from? How did you even get here? The Time Spheres haven't been usable in centuries! There's no possible way for you two to have come here by that means!"

The little group fell into silence until sirens could be heard coming closer to them. Cressida tossed a look over her shoulder. "Ky!"

"Yes, ma'am," Ky rushed forward to Zoro and Franky. "Hurry! Come with me!"

Zoro and Franky blinked at him. Cressida spoke to them. "Get inside! Now! Unless you want to be arrested!"

Zoro and Franky then followed after Ky. He led them inside and into a closet. "Just keep quiet and _do not_ _move_. They will open this door, but they won't see you."

"What's going on?" Franky asked.

"I can't explain that now. Just keep quiet and they'll leave soon," Ky said before shutting the door. The two listen to several, rushed beeps and a couple other strange sounds before the room when quiet. The room filled up with talking when Cressida entered the house with whoever arrived with the sirens.

"Go ahead and look around," Cressida said with confidence.

"We will, Miss Cressida," A male voice said. "I hope for your sake you are telling the truth and those fugitives aren't here. If they are you _will_ be arrested too and your filthy robot will be dismantled. You know the penalty for helping those who attack Master Rumble."

Zoro and Franky remained quiet as they heard several footsteps wondering around just outside their hiding spot. Along with the footsteps there were sounds of things being thrown to the ground and things being broken. Cressida's then spoke out. "Do you really have to break my house? You are still guests here. I would expect you to have at least _some_ manners."

Suddenly the door to their hiding spot flung opened. They did their best to hold still as the officially dressed man looked inside. "All's clear, Chieftain! They're not here!"

"Told you so," Cressida huffed.

"Very well. We will continue our search else where. Good day to you, Miss Cressida." Several minutes passed before Ky opened the door. Zoro and Franky exited the room.

"How is it possible that they didn't see us in there?" Franky asked while looking back at the small room they came out of.

"It was a hologram," Ky explained. "When the guard looked inside all he saw was small broom closet. This house is rigged to project illusions to prote-"

"Ky!" Cressida snapped.

"We can trust them, Cress," Ky turned to her.

"Trust them? They've already lied to us once!" Cressida reminded him.

"They intend us no harm," Ky replied.

"Whatever!" Cressida scoffed then disappeared into another room, slamming the door behind her.

"She saves us then bites our heads off?" Franky blinked at the closed door. "What's up with her?"

"Forgive her," Ky said. "She can be…difficult to understand at times. Please sit down so we can talk."

Zoro and Franky sat down at the small kitchen table Ky gestured to. While Ky moved around the tiny kitchen to get them drinks, the pirates looked around the room. It was a combination kitchen and living room. The only other rooms were the one they just came out of and the one Cressida went into. A staircase led up to a second floor.

Ky placed two cups on the table and sat down. "You are on the Time Dome of Cyborg Slaves."

"Cyborg Slaves?" Franky asked.

"Yes," Ky nodded. "This place has always view cyborgs as inferior beings. Rumble, the man you attacked, is descended from the people who came into power here and made this place into a living nightmare for those of us who are cyborgs. Before the Time Spheres stopped working Empress Futura was in talks with Rumble about abolishing the slavery of cyborgs. I don't know if she would have been able to convince him, but it gave hope to many. But that hope was dashed when the Time Spheres stopped working. Empress Futura hasn't been able to come here for centuries."

"Empress Futura?" Zoro asked.

"She governs the Time Stream you two are currently floating in," Ky looked at the swordsman. They gave him confused looks. "You two are literally flowing along with time. You are in the past, the present and the future while also not being in the past, present and future. It's quiet complicated."

"Why are you telling us all this when you obviously know we're not going to tell you anything about us?" Franky asked.

"Because I trust you," Ky looked at him. "It's just the way Cress built and programmed me. I can easily tell when someone's going to cause harm, when they're good, when they're bad…I can just tell that you are here on a mission and can't share details."

"You mean _that_ girl built you?" Zoro casted his eyes back to the door Cressida went through.

"She did," Ky nodded. "You see, she's quiet the little genius. She got it from her parents. Her parents were doctors skilled in cyborg technology. Unfortunately, they were under the employment of Rumble."

"Were?" Franky asked.

"Although there is no actual proof of this, Rumble murdered her parents about nine years ago. You see, it use to be when people became cyborgs it was because of an accident that mangled their body up. But when Rumble's family came into power they started to abuse that technology and turned people into cyborgs at whim for any reason, or no reason at all. They threatened Cressida's parents into putting control chips into all cyborgs by telling them they'd kill Cressida if they didn't listen. These control chips can hurt the cyborg or even kill them."

"That's awful!" Franky cried.

"Eventually, Cressida's parents had enough and started to make it where the control chips would malfunction. This would set the people free of control. Then all they had to do was escape the city and hide in the mountains where there are other people who want to free the cyborgs. When the truth of what Cressida's parents were doing Rumble's family called for their deaths. They tried to flee with Cressida, however…the control chips that Cressida's parents were using were linked back to Rumble's master mainframe. It turned out that the control chips were also a way for them to control the entire population, not just the cyborgs. It's an army of cyborgs that only that family can control if the population ever gets out of control or decides to retaliate. That's why no one ever stands up to Rumble."

"That's just wrong," Franky said.

"How did you two meet? Are you her family or something?" Zoro asked.

"Now I am her family. I use to be a slave. I don't ever remember not being a cyborg. I don't even know who my biological family is. Cressida found me when her parents were killed. Rumble tried to kill her as well, but she managed to escape. I wasn't even working when she found me in the ditch. But when she found me, for some reason, she wanted to save me. And here we are," Ky place his elbow on the table and rested his chin in the palm of his hand.

"How did she end up in that chair, if you don't mind me asking?" Franky questioned.

"A few years, after she saved me, Rumble tried again to kill her. I wasn't strong enough them to prevent it completely and she was paralyzed in that attack. I told her she could become a cyborg, but she turned it down. I don't blame her. If she did she'd put herself at risk. Rumble would use the opportunity to take control over her. I wouldn't be able to do much of anything then," Ky gave a soft smile. "I don't want to ever loose her. I love her."

"That might be a bit too much information," Franky stated.

"I want to take her away from here, but she won't go," Ky reported.

"Why not?" Zoro asked.

Ky replied. "Right now when a control chip malfunctions she helps them escape to the mountains. She feels responsible for those who are under Rumble's control and wants to try and free them all at once. But there are so many to help and Rumble might try and kill her again. I don't know how much longer I will be able to protect her."

"How was she planning on freeing them all at once?" Franky asked.

"This house is actually a beacon of sorts. We built it so that we can send a disruption wave over the city to disable the control chips, but it's not working yet," Ky then tapped a plate on his chest. A door popped open, revealing a mirror inside that reflected nothing. Franky and Zoro's eyes widened. "This piece of material has some strange abilities. It completely destroyed the control chip that was inside of me. It should be enough to charge the beacon and free the cyborgs. But Rumble is getting suspicious of us. I don't know how much longer we'll be able to keep him from realizing what we're up to."

…

"So what do we do now?" Franky asked as he stared up at the ceiling. Him and Zoro were sharing the spare bedroom upstairs.

"Let's just take it and go," Zoro grumbled.

"Seriously? After all you heard down there? You want to just knock them out and run?" Franky sat up and looked at Zoro.

"Would you prefer to stay here forever?" Zoro casted Franky and one eyed look.

"No, but we can't just…," Franky's voice trailed off. He laid back down and continued to stare up at the ceiling. "There's got to be something we can do to help them."

…

Neo sigh as she stared up at the fake sky on the dome's ceiling. It was a very fake sunny day. She was leaning against the door frame, Law's hat firmly in her arms. Velocity was laying on the back of the couch complaining about the fake sun. "It does give a nice tan, but it takes forever to get one. I much prefer the real son."

"Sunbathing," Neo mumbled to herself as another memory began to seep into her mind. This one was about the bikini stunt she pulled with Penguin. The man had helped her pick out one and gave her some pointers on how to use it on Law...

"Not today," Law said, not taking his eyes off his papers.

"Aw, come on, Law," Neo protested as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She nuzzled her nose behind his ear. "Please? You've been working all day. Can't you take a little break?"

Law let out a low sigh as he turned to face her. "Love, you know I'd lo-...Neo?"

"Hm?" Neo blinked innocently at him as he finally took notice to what she was wearing. She was wearing a bikini. It was two toned. The top part, about an inch of each piece, was yellow while the lower parts were blue, a couple shades darker than her hair. It wasn't as revealing as the ones Nami and Robin would wear, but it was more revealing than anything else she's worn before.

"Why are you wearing _that_?" Law blinked rapidly at her current state. "And since when do you even own one of _those_?"

"Because I am going to do some sunbathing then maybe a little swimming," Neo said as she pulled away from him so he could see her full figure. "And I might have picked it up a couple islands ago when we stopped for supplies. Penguin thought you'd like this one over all the others. He said it goes with my hair very well. Are you sure you don't want to come join me?"

She bit her lip, and bit back a smile, when Law started to falter in his decision to keep working. His eyes kept roaming over her body. "All the _others_? I'mm…ssure. Penguin…saw _you_ in _that_? I really need to keep working. How many _others_ did he see? I'm working. You…go ahead…now."

"Oh fine," She took a step closer to him. She leaned over and nuzzled their noses together before placing a feather light kiss on his lips. "I guess I'll just have to have the crew entertain me instead."

He watched her every move as she shot one last glance and smile over her shoulder at him as she left their room. When she got on the deck of the ship she opened her wings and flew down to the uninhabited island they were currently docked at. The crew was running around having fun, doing whatever they pleased, swimming, napping, playing, fishing.

"You seriously couldn't get him to come out? Looking like that?" Shachi questioned as Neo landed next to him and Penguin.

"Careful, Shachi," Penguin chuckled. "Though he trusts us he'll still use Shambles on you for your suggestive tone with her."

"Trust me, boys," Neo smiled mischievously as she flicked her hair over her shoulders. "He'll be here. There's no way he won't be."

The three laughed before the two boys separated from her to join the rest of the crew in a game of beach volleyball. Neo sat down on the beach blanket they had laid out for her. As she was rubbing on sunscreen a familiar shadow fell over her. She turned her innocent eyes up to him. He was wearing his black swim trunks with their jolly roger on it. He had his arms crossed, his eyes closed and an eyebrow twitching in annoyance. "I thought you were too busy working."

Law, slightly blushing, grumbled as he sat down beside her. She suppressed a giggle as she waved the sunscreen at him. "Well, since you're here, I could use some on my back."

He grumbled again but didn't take the bottle. "If you don't want to, I guess I could get one of th-"

Law snatched the bottle from her hand. She banishing her wings from her back as she pulled her hair out of the way. He squirted a little too much sunscreen in his palm and started rubbing it into her skin. "Did you really have to do that? Tease me then just walk out wearing… wearing…"

"A bikini."

"T _hat_?!"

"Bikini."

"…In front of _other_ _men_! Penguin _saw_ you in _that_? In _multipl_ e bi-bi..."

"Bikini, love. The word you're trying to say is bikini," She giggled at his flustered and jealous tone. "It's only the crew. I know you trust them enough for me to wear this _bikini_ around them. Besides you were a good boy and followed me."

His face flushed darker. " _ **Yo**_ **u** are _**forbidden**_ from _**ever**_ going shopping with _**Penguin**_ _**again**_."

"And here's your reward for being a good boy," She put her hand on his neck and pulled him into an intense kiss that she knew he liked. She could tell by his tone that he was serious in forbidding her and Penguin from ever going shopping together again. But she was okay with that. She'd easily change his mind about it later. Right now he needed time to recover.

…

 **Author's Notes: Ya know, I almost didn't do these flashbacks. But I thought the chapters would be boring if we didn't know what Neo was up to. Plus it gives us the chance to see more Neo x Law cute moments and to see how much confidence Neo has gained and how comfortable she is in her skin now to the point of being able to control Law mischievously with her body.**


	17. Chopper

Chopper

Chopper blinked several times as he stared at the scene before him. Some of the people noticed him, but didn't say anything. They didn't really react to him or the winged monkey being there at all. They all had cinnamon color skin and black hair. "Some kind of circus, I guess."

His eyes landed on one of the of the circus workers. It was a young boy who looked about ten or eleven years old. He was struggling to pack up wooden boxes into the back of a wagon. His forehead was covered in sweat, his cinnamon color cheeks were flushed and he was breathing hard.

Another circus worker walked by with a box in his arms. He shoved the box into the wagon and narrowed his eyebrows at the boy. "Hurry up, brat. We don't have all day."

"I know," The boy replied as he lifted up a box. He started to walk towards the back of the wagon. As he lifted the box to the wagon it caught on the edge. The box tipped out of his hands. Both the boy and the box fell to the ground. Instead of helping him, the surrounding workers just laughed at the boy and walked off.

"Oh my gosh!" Chopper ran over to the kid. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," The boy huffed as he tried to stand up.

"No, you're not," Chopper said, checking the boy's forehead. "You have a fever."

"It's okay," The boy stood up and started to pick up the box again. "I'm use to it."

When the boy tried to put the box in the wagon it began to fall again. Chopper assumed his human form and grabbed the box, shoving it into the wagon. The boy looked at him with confusion and seemed to not care about Chopper's transformation. "W-Why are you helping me?"

"Because you're sick and I'm a doctor. You just rest. I'll take care of this. You're just putting these boxes in the back here, right?" Chopper asked. The boy nodded and sat down on the ground. With in a few minutes Chopper had all the boxes loaded up in the wagon. He turned back to the boy who looked like he was about to fall asleep. "Where do you ride? In the wagon too?"

"That one over there is mine," He pointed to a small nearby hut on wheels. Chopper picked the boy up and carried him over to the hut wagon. The monkey followed as Chopper stepped inside. He laid the boy down on the small bed inside and began to examine him.

"Hey, Ahote! You inside?" A female voice called out before opening the door to the hut. A woman, dressed like a gypsy, poked her head in. She had cinnamon color skin and black hair as well. "Uh, who are you? New recruit, eh? Whatever, just as long as you do your job. We're getting ready to take off. Good to see you're all set."

"Wait a minute! I'm not a new recruit!" Chopper protested but the woman closed the door. He got up to go after the woman but the wagon jolted forward. They were already on the move. He had no choice but to stay put and tend to his new patient.

He began to get a bit frustrated when his medicine wasn't helping the boy. Then a thought hit him. Whoever this kid was, he wasn't human. And he'd been using human medicine on him. "Maybe Elemental medicine will work on him."

Chopper opened his bag again and pulled out the medicine he got from Madam Healer. He gave the kid some and sat back to wait to see if anything changed. Thirty minutes later, the kid settled down into a peaceful sleep. Chopper sighed. "I'm so glad it worked. And I'm also glad that I studied under Madam Healer before leaving Luminous."

While the kid slept, Chopper took the time to look around the small room. Other than the small bed the kid was sleeping on, it had three boxes in the room. They looked like they were placed together to for a makeshift table and chairs. There was a small lantern handing on the wall for when it got dark.

There was one small window in one of the sides of the hut. The window was just big enough for a person to poke their head out of it. Chopper, back to his smaller form, sat down on one of the smaller boxed. He was going to watch out the window to pass time. But there was a map on the table that caught his attention. As he looked at it, it remind him of his actual mission. "That's right. I'm supposed to be looking for that shard thing."

Just then the monkey chirped and formed a holographic map for him. Chopper studied the holographic map then glanced back over at the map laying on the table. The layout of the maps were very similar. He rubbed his chin. "I think this troop is heading in the same direction as I'm apparently going. Guess I just have to wait. The shard looks like it's about four or five days from here, if I'm reading this thing right."

He turned his attention out the window. "I hope the others are all right. And I hope they don't have to fight. Or at least not fight anyone that's very tough. I won't be able to help them if they get injured. I wonder how Neo's doing. She must be so worried, being all alone. That creep! He better not hurt her!"

A couple hours later it started to get dark so Chopper had to light the lantern. He checked on his patient. The kid was still sleeping peacefully. A little bit after that the wagon train pulled to a stop. The woman from before came back and opened the door. "I'll have the grub done in a few minutes. He's in bed?"

"He's sick," Chopper informed her.

"Ah," She nodded, but she really didn't seem concerned about him. "He's been sluggish for a few days now."

"Don't you people have a doctor with you?" Chopper asked as he followed after her when she walked away.

"Doctor? What's a doctor?" She asked.

"Someone who helps those who are sick?" Chopper gave her a confused glance.

"Oh, you mean an expert. No, we don't have one of those traveling with us," She informed him while she started a fire and began to prepare their meal.

"What do you do then when someone gets sick?" Chopper asked.

"Usually the places we stop in have at least one expert," She replied then looked at him questioningly. "Exactly who are you? You should know all of this if you've been traveling with us."

"Actually I'm not really traveling with you. I just arrived today," Chopper said.

"That new, huh?" She shook her head with a smile. "Master must be getting desperate if he's hiring people who know nothing about us."

"I'm not…," Chopper started to tell her the truth, but his voice trailed off when he caught a glimpse at the monkey beside him. He remembered the rules that Pendulum had set for them and decided it was best not to say anything at all. So he pretended to have really joined them. "Sorry for my ignorance about your business, I am definitely new here."

"Don't worry about it. You'll do fine once you get into the swing of things," She smiled at him. "I'm Viona."

"I'm Chopper," Chopper sat down and watched Viona cook. She ended up making something that looked like grey grits. And it tasted as bad as it looked. He ate it anyway then took a bowl of the stuff inside to his patient. When Chopper returned inside of the hut, the boy was awake. "You're awake. How do you feel?"

"Tired," Ahote replied. He turned his head and looked at Chopper. "Who are you? I've never seen you before."

"My name's Chopper," Chopper said as he stood near the bedside. "I'm a doc-uh-expert. I've treated you. You should be feeling better in a few days. Would you like something to eat? Although I'm not sure this is really going to be healthy for you in your condition."

"Nothing Viona cooks is ever healthy," Ahote chuckled. "I'm not hungry anyway. I think I'm just going to sleep."

"That's a good idea. We can talk later," Chopper said, the boy closed his eyes.

…

Neo sighed to herself as she listened to Velocity reading her another book. It was another romance one. The little sprite seemed to have a fascination with them. She didn't really mind. She was glad that Velocity was gracious enough to read to her. It passed time. Even though it kept bringing her memories of Law. This one was reminding her of when she got sick after he had come back home. It was the first day after getting over whatever bug she had caught…

"Never leave me again," Neo said as she kissed Law's lips. Her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She had glomped onto him earlier that morning like a child who'd lost their favorite toy and recently found it. So he's spent the entire day carrying her around while she showered him with kisses. She only released him when she absolutely had too. Other than that she remained attached to him.

"I'm never leaving you again," Law replied, kissing her back. The two were so lost in their own little world that they hardly noticed the crew's snickers or teasing comments. Of course Penguin was there as a buffer to make sure the crew didn't over step their boundaries in teasing the lovestruck couple.

"And you'll always be with me," Neo said, kissing him again.

"I'll always be with you," Law walked into the galley. He sat her down on the counter, but she didn't unwrap herself from him. He kissed her multiple times, on her lips, neck, cheeks, forehead, making her giggle all while reaching for a cup. Without taking his attention, or kisses, from her he filled up the cup with water. "Love, you can kiss me as much as you want, for as long as you want. But we have been kissing for three hours straight and I need water."

She reluctantly stopped kissing him and pouted. He chuckled at her cute pout before downing three cups of water. He filled the cup up again and handed it to her. "And you need water too."

She chugged the water down, placed the cup back on the counter then placed her lips back on his.

"Ah, so you two do remember how to breath independently," Shachi teased. He was sitting at the table. His chin resting in the palm of his hand while tapping his finger against his chin. He had watched this entire scene from the second Neo and Law came into the galley. "I was beginning to wonder. Are you two ever going to release each other? Or stop kissing?"

"Are you ever going to release me?" Neo asked between kisses.

"Never," Law replied with more kisses.

"Are you going to stop kissing me?" Neo asked with even more kisses.

"Never," Neo squealed happily before giving Law a rewarding deep, heated kiss.

"You two are starting to make me queazy," Shachi adjusted his hat and headed out of the galley. "I think I'm going to go repeatedly clean the sub from top to bottom, inside and out, until you two get over this. Or until you get a room and stay there until you're over this."

Law hummed into another kiss as he picked Neo back up off the counter. "Where're we going now?"

"To our room," Law said and the two smiled into their next kiss. "It _is_ a good suggestion."

…Neo sighed and curled into herself. She wished she could kiss Law right now.

…

 **Mei:** **Thanks. I tried to be as unique as possible. These chapters have actually been a pain to write, but they've came out so well. (Maybe that's why that other girl's story is bothering me so much. I put so much effort into Neo's story I just 'feel' ripped off.) And I made sure to keep in mind all of the OP characters personality traits, personal skills and fighting abilities. I didn't want them to go somewhere where their abilities turned out to be useless. That would have made for terrible chapters and they'd never be able to get their shards, leaving them stuck there forever. And that certainly couldn't happen. :)**

 **PuddyKatz: O.O Seriously, how do you keep reading my mind? HOW do you do it?! I've actually been thinking about doing short stories for Neo and Law. One shots for them would be fun.**

 **Apple Bloom:** **Thanks! :)**


	18. Penguin & Robin

Penguin and Robin

"Well, we might as well get started," Robin said when the hologram of the man disappeared and was replaced with a holographic map. "It looks like the shard is under the water and quiet some distance from us, maybe days. I'm afraid I won't be much help if we have to fight underwater."

"Let's not jump to that conclusion just yet," Penguin said, standing up. He walked over to the sub. He untethered it and crawled into it with Robin and the monkey following him. The two found the sub was equipped with two small beds, a bathroom, a small kitchen and two chairs at the front with the controls. She remained quiet as he studied the controls for the sub.

"Can you work it?" She asked after several minutes.

"I believe so. It doesn't look that much different from the captain's sub," Penguin said as he sat down to take the controls. Robin took the seat beside him as he started to press buttons. Within seconds he had it running and submerged them.

He spent a few minutes testing the controls to make sure he could handle the sub before following the map. After a while he tossed a glance over at his female companion. "If you're tired you should get some sleep."

"I'm fine," She replied turning her eyes to him. "What about you? If you're tired I can take over."

"No," He shook his head. "I'm too furious to sleep."

"I understand," Robin spoke softly. "She's going to be fine. She's a lot stronger now."

Penguin tightened his hold on the controls. "Even though she has gotten lot stronger, she still has occasional nightmares about what happened on Luminous. This is the first time, since that incident, that's she's been completely on her own. She's always with us or the captain. When she wakes up and realizes we're not there…I worried she might have a relapse. That she might try and..."

"She won't," Robin assured him. "It's safe to assume that Pendulum will speak with her at some point when she wakes up, like he did with us. She knows we'll be coming for her even if he doesn't tell her where we are. Right now let's focus on the task at hand. The sooner we all get the shards the sooner we can be reunited with her."

"You're right. Thanks, Nico," Penguin gave her a small, but genuine smile.

A couple hours later their peaceful journey through the water was disrupted by a thump that sent the sub spinning. When they got back under control the two scanned the water to see what hit them. What they saw resembled a lobster. Its body, but for it's large claws, was almost completely flat and it had a snake like tail.

"Hold on!" Penguin cried as he began to move the sub to avoid the creature's attacks. He rapidly pressed buttons. "Let's hope the weapons on this thing are strong enough to handle that creature!"

The first weapons he got control over were missiles. They had zero effect on the monster's body. It looked like the creature didn't feel the explosions at all. Next Penguin tried to out maneuver the creature while trying to figure out the rest of the weapons they had.

In a bit of a panic, he hit a button unintentionally. The lights in the sub flickered and the whole thing vibrated. Robin looked around, worried. "What is this?"

"I don't know. I didn't mean to hit that button," Penguin said. He reached for the button to shut it off.

"Wait!" Robin tapped his hand to stop him. "Look."

Penguin followed her gaze out the window. The creature looked like it was in pain, but nothing appeared to be attacking it. Soon the creature took off. Penguin pressed the button and the vibrating stopped. "What was that?"

"Maybe it was some kind of sonic attack that we couldn't hear," Robin offered. "Or perhaps it's like the sea prism stones that the Navy uses to ward off sea kings?"

"Whatever it was, I'm glad it worked," Penguin said as he turned his attention back to finding the shard. "I hope we don't run into something like that again."

The two settled down into comfortable silence.

…

"Are you serious?! _He_ actually chose the wedding date for _you_?" Velocity growled. "I so couldn't do that!"

"That's why you've run off every single potential helpmates you date. Because you're nothing but a control freak. You always have to make every single decision on your own without his involvement," Elian was laying down on the couch with his hands behind his head as his sister paced on the back of the couch. Celeste was sitting on top of Neo's head, using her magic to put tiny braids in Neo's hair while humming to herself.

"I am _not_ a control freak! I just like making decisions that involve me," Velocity glared down at her brother.

"Uh huh," Elian opened one eye and looked up at his sister. "And why did your last crush break up with you?"

"Well, he…," Velocity's face flushed. "I really didn't like him anyway! His style in clothes was atrocious!"

"If you say so," Elian closed his eye again with a light smirk.

Neo sat quietly as she watched the two bicker. She was sitting, curled up on the couch, with a long sleeve shirt, a blanket over her lap and a hot cinnamon flavored drink in her hand. It had been raining all day and the house was chilly. She brought the drink up to her face and let the heat wash over her skin. "I know it might sound weird that he did that. But there was a reason he did."

"What do you mean?" Velocity asked as she and Elian turned their attention back to her.

Neo stared into her drink. "He did it to teach me. He's always knows what I wanted or needed even before I know it. And getting married wasn't any different. He knew that I would be confused and nervous if I had known the wedding was coming because I'm still learning about the world and about myself. He wanted to show me that nothing much was going to change between us after the wedding."

"He sounds so romantic," Velocity said while getting a dazed look in her eyes. "How was your wedding night?! It was amazing, right? Tell me it was amazing!"

"Velocity!" Elian's entire body flinched. He propped up on his elbows and gave his sister a penetrating look. "You don't go around asking things like that!"

"What?" Velocity put her hands on her hips and looked at her brother. "It's not like what happens on a wedding night is a secret to anyone!"

"It's still not proper to ask someone that! We're still pretty much strangers here!"

"It's all right, Elian," The two turned their attention back to their guest. "Actually, nothing happened at all."

"What?" Velocity dropped her hands to her sides. "You've got to be kidding. What do you mean?"

"Nothing happened," A light pink rose on Neo's cheeks. "All he did was hold me. He told me that we weren't going to rush anything. That being married didn't mean we _had_ to do anything, at least not yet. We just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company."

"But it did happen, right?" Velocity asked.

"Velocity!" Elian snapped.

"Yes, it did. About a couple weeks after the wedding it happened. He wanted me to be use to being married without having to feel pressured into doing anything. It happened naturally when the time was right. He didn't want it to happened just because he was ready and wanted it to happen. He wanted me to be ready for it and I really couldn't do that unless we were already married. He told me that people often jump into it too quickly and that we weren't going to do that. Everything he does, even the decisions he has made for me and those he will make for me, it's all to teach me. I have complete trust him. I could have told him 'no' that day and he wouldn't have gone through with the wedding. But I trusted his decision. And it was the right thing to do."

"That's so sweet. You are hopeless in love with him," Velocity said softly.

Neo nodded slightly as her already pink cheeks darkened to a red shade. Tears slid down her cheeks. She brushed them away with her finger. "I really do love him."

…

 **PuddyKatz: Ah, thanks ^/./^**

 **Apple Bloom: Thanks to you too. And we're so close to the reuniting chapters. Oh so close!**


	19. Forgotten Memory

Forgotten Memory

"Aw," Celeste pouted as she hovered near Neo. Neo, wearing Law's hat, was curled up in the chair in the library with a blanket over her lap. "Pweddy Princess is sweeping again."

"Let her sleep, Celeste," Elian ordered. "It's good for her to sleep in her condition."

"Condition?" Velocity questioned as she raised her eyes from the book she was reading to Neo. "It's almost bedtime. If she keeps sleeping like this she won't be able to sleep later."

"You know," Elian rubbed his neck. "Being far away from home, without her helpmate and friends at her side. Sleeping will help the time pass faster since there's nothing else for her to do here."

"I suppose you are correct," Velocity replied slowly as she took in her brother. A sudden shift in pressure caused the sprites to stiffen and Neo to snap awake. She jumped to her feet as the sprites dove into her hair to hide.

Pendulum once again appeared in a kneeling position. "Princess of Luminous, how are you doing this evening?"

"What are you doing here?" Neo demanded.

"There is no need for such hostilities, Princess of Luminous," Pendulum gave her a smug smile as he rose up from his mock bow. "I am only here to give you a gift."

"A gift?" Neo cautiously eyed him. She could tell by his smug expression his _gift_ wasn't going to be something good.

"I thought we could go see your lover," Pendulum's smug smile morphed into a sadistic one. Neo's senses alerted her to danger. But before she could do anything the library disappeared from her eyes. Everything went blurry then black.

Neo blinked when things came back into focus. She looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings. She could feel the sprites moving around in her hair. They moved up closer to her ear and poked their little heads out to look around. Velocity was the one who spoke first. "He brought us to the past?"

Neo looked down to where Velocity's voice spoke. Elian spoke next. "But why would he bring Neo here?"

"Who are you?" A boy's voice demanded.

Neo turned to the voice. Her eyes widened as her eyes landed on the young boy wearing a very familiar spotted hat. His skin was covered with white spots. His name slipped past her lips before she could stop herself. "Law…"

"Hm?" The young Law narrowed his harsh eyes at her. "How do you know my name? Who are you? And what's with the strange clothes? I do like the hat though."

"Why did you do this?" Neo couldn't take her eyes off Law. She knew she should look away. She knew she shouldn't be here. Her presence in the past could alter the future. It could alter _their_ future. Her fists shook as she clenched them tightly. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gritted her teeth and hissed at Pendulum. "Why did you bring me _here_? Why? What's the point of all this?"

"What's wrong, Princess?" She could hear the pleasure in Pendulum's voice as he spoke to her. "I thought you would be happy to see your lo-"

"Stop it! Stop it right now! Don't say anymore!" Neo snapped her eyes shut and screamed. "Take me back! Take me back! Right! Now!"

"Are you ill or something?" Young Law asked. "Why are you yelling like that?"

Pendulum chuckled darkly as the young Law faded away from Neo's vision and everything went black again. Seconds later they were standing back in the library. It took all of Neo's will to not shake and to not lash out at him with her magic. Tear ran freely down her cheeks and with signs of stopping. "Why? Why did you do that? Do you realized the damage you could have done?"

Pendulum just continued to chuckled darkly as he disappeared once again. Neo's stomach turned in multiple directions. She covered her mouth and bolted for the closest bathroom, emptying the contents of her stomach. Elian hovered in the air nearby, Velocity rubbed Neo's back comfortingly while Celeste sat on her head, stroking Neo's blue hair.

Neo pulled back and curled into a ball. She whispered to herself as Velocity and Elian exchanged concern expressions. "Law…Where are you? I need you. I really need you right now. Please, come back to me."

…

Law gasped, jerking awake from his slumber. He sat up and panted. Nami stirred from her own sleep. She pushed up on her arms and looked at him from across their fire. "Something wrong?"

"I met her before," Law panted. "How...How could I have forgotten?"

"Forgotten what?" Nami blinked.

"I saw her. Years before I saved her," Law said. "I met Neo years _before_ I saved her."

"What do you mean you met Neo before you saved her? Are you even awake over there?" Nami questioned as she sat up and gave Law a concerned look. Their fire snapped and crackled during their momentary silence.

"Yes, I'm awake," Law pulled up his knees and laid his arms over them. "Ever since Neo has been with me there has been two questions that I never could find an answer for. One, _Why_ did I save her? And two, _Why_ was I so determined to keep her alive?"

"Because you cared about her," Nami said.

"No, she was just a stranger that I happened to come across," Law shook his head. He then looked at her. "Other than the obvious exception of your boneheaded captain, what pirate in their right mind goes out of his way to save a complete stranger? Especially when the Navy is breathing down their necks?"

Nami narrowed her eyebrows slightly. Law continued talking. "I remembered…not long after I joined Doflamingo's crew, I saw a blue haired woman in a white spotted hat and a strange looking man. Both of them were wearing odd clothing. The woman knew my name, yet I didn't know who she was or where she came from. She was crying and kept demanding the man to tell her why he brought her here and to take her back. I never thought I'd ever forget that happened. I did, until now."

"Sounds to me like you two were just meant to be together," Nami said. "But why would you remember all this now? It seems like you would have remembered something like that when you found her. It doesn't make sense."

"He took her back to the past just now. I can feel her crying. She's been crying so much since she was taken away from me. She's hurt," Law gritted his teeth and glared out into the dark forest. "He hurt her. And he _will_ pay for that with his life."

Nami continued to stare at Law. The information he just told her spun around in her mind. She found it hard to believe that someone purposefully had a hand in leading Neo and Law to find each other. But there it was. She knew Law wouldn't lie or make up a story like this. It was a bit too much to think about. She would like to have discussed it more with her current male companion, but she dared not speak again.

It was obvious that Law was furious at what Pendulum has done. It was obvious that Law was coming up with multiple ways to kill Pendulum. And if it was possible, she knew Law would kill him multiple times for hurting Neo. She knew that all of them would help him with doing just that, if it was possible. Instead of speaking again, Nami laid down and watched Law continue to glare and plot before falling back asleep.

…

Elian stared up at the ceiling. His mind was constantly going over and over their trip to the past that Pendulum forced Neo to take. With a light huff, he narrowed his eyebrows before taking to the air. He flew up closer to the girls. Velocity was once again sharing the large pillow with Celeste. Celeste was turned the opposite way of Velocity and had her mouth hanging open, drool running down her chin as she snored slightly.

He pulled his eyes from them and looked at Neo. He hovered over her as he stared down at her. She was laying on her back, slightly twisted at her hips. She was now sleeping peacefully despite the fairly traumatic events that took place earlier that night. When they first went to bed she had trouble falling asleep. She would twist and turn, trying to forget what had taken place. Eventually she had fallen asleep. The blanket that she used to cover up with was laying down at her hips, exposing her upper body to the cool night air.

Elian lowered himself and carefully landed on her stomach. During her restlessness, she caused her shirt to slide up, he placed his hands on her exposed stomach. He took a slow deep breath then let it out. His hands and his eyes started to glow a greenish blue hue. He was so concentrated on his task that he didn't notice she had woken up. "Elian?"

Elian's hands and eyes stopped glowing. He shot up into the air, eye level with her. She was propped up on her elbows. She rubbed her right eye tiredly. "What are you doing?"

"N-Nothing," Elian swallowed. "I, uh, couldn't sleep. So I was just doing some magical exercises."

"Magical exercises?"

"Yeah, I'll show you," Elian held up his right hand and formed a glowing ball. He did a few tricks with it then held his palm up. The ball hovered over his hand before shooting out towards Neo. The glowing ball absorbed into her forehead, making her very sleepy. "Go back to sleep now."

"O…kay," Neo sleepily mumbled as she lowered back to the bed.

Elian hovered in place for a few seconds. After he was sure she was back asleep, he dropped back to her stomach. He placed his hands back on her stomach and started to glow again.

...

 **Author's Note: Sorry for any mistakes I might miss. I do proofread multiple times before posting, but some still slip through. And, yea chapters without Law won't be fun. But there will be a few coming up next. ;) for good reason.**


	20. Reunited Chopper

Reunited

Chopper

"So why did you join this troupe?" Chopper asked. His current patient has been sleeping for the past four days. He finally woke up today.

"Well, it's a lot better than living back home," Ahote replied.

"What do you mean?" Chopper asked.

"My mama remarried last year to this jerk. This family is very well know and very wealthily," Ahote explained. "They always wanted me and my sister to be all prim and proper. I was never allowed to play and have fun. It was all manners all the time. I was being smothered to death. And he isn't the nicest. He's hit me a couple of times. I really needed to get away from them. So when this troupe came to town, I joined them."

"I'm sorry. That must have been terrible. But I don't see how this place is much better than your home."

"I know they seem uncaring. But, in fact, they really are caring. We all have similar backgrounds. We all ran from something. Most of the time it's the feeling of being unwanted. They have formed their own family here. Master may come off cold, but he loves his family very much and takes good care of us all. They all just have a tight bond. They warm up to others fairly easy. What about you? What are you running away from?"

"I'm not running away from anything," Chopper replied.

"Then why are you in this troupe?"

"I'm not really. I kinda jumped into this by accident. You were sick and it's my job to care for those who are. I didn't mean to tag along with you all, but I was heading in the same direction you all were anyway."

"I see. Then what are you looking for?"

"Well, I, uh…" Chopper glanced at his little monkey companion. It was standing off in the corner and hadn't moved from that spot unless Chopper left the little hut. "I can't answer that."

"Why not?"

"I know it sounds strange, but I can't answer that either. I'm sorry," Chopper dropped his eyes to the floor.

"It's all right," Chopper pulled his eyes back up to Ahote. Ahote was smiling at him. "You helped me. If you say you can't tell me what you're looking for then I won't press it. I am grateful for your help."

"Ah shucks! You don't have to thank me you jerk!" Chopper blushed. After that the two settled into some pleasant conversation. Ahote told him all about the troupe he was in and Chopper, carefully, told Ahote about his friends.

Soon their chatting was interrupted by their convoy pulling to a stop. They had reached their destination. And Chopper was now closer to retrieving his shard. "Do you really have to go?"

"I do," Chopper nodded. "I have to take care of something and then get back to my friends. I'm really concerned about one of them in particular. I want to make sure she's okay."

"I understand," Ahota nodded with a smile. "I'm glad I got to meet you. And thanks again for your help."

"Don't mention it!" Chopper waved goodbye as he ran off from the troupe. He ran into the near by forest and made sure he was well out of sight before turning to the monkey. "All right, show me that map again."

The monkey formed the holographic map. Chopper studied it before the two headed off to where the shard was. "Good, we're very close to it."

After ten minutes of walking, they were standing right on top of it. Chopper looked around, but didn't see it. He looked at the map again. "It should be right here."

He then kneeled down and started to move vines and leaves out of the way. He found it. It was almost twice as big as him with jagged edges. He grabbed it and cheer. "Yes! I have it! I found it! I can go see Neo now!"

He jumped around in excitement. As he jumped around the monkey clicked and chirped a couple of times. Chopper never noticed as he was too happy. He didn't even noticed the monkey taking the shard out of his hooves. Next thing he knew was his name was being called. "Chopper?"

"Huh?" Chopper paused mid-jump. After he reopened his eyes, he looked around and noticed he was no longer in the forest. He was in front of some kind of house. And in front of Neo. He ran to her. "Neo!"

"Chopper!" Neo held out her arms, allowing the little reindeer to dive into them. "I'm so glad you are safe!"

"I'm glad you are safe as well," Chopper cried. He scanned his eyes over her body. "Are you injured? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No," Neo shook her head. "He hasn't touched me at all."

"I'm so glad!" Chopper hugged her. "Are the others here?"

"No," She shook her head again. He pulled back from their hug and looked at her. "You're the first to arrive."

"So where are we?" Chopper asked.

"We're in the Time Stream."

"The what?"

"There's something you should see," Neo said as she opened her wings. She flew them up to the balcony. "Take a look."

Chopper blinked a few times before viewing into the telescope that Neo was holding him up to. "What?! Where the heck are we?! What's going on?!"

"You're in the Time Stream as the princess has said."

"Who said that?" Chopper asked. He looked around for the little female voice that had just spoke to him.

"Right here, pal," Chopper turned to look at the three sprites standing on the balcony railing.

"What?! What are those things?! Are they bugs?! Why are bugs talking?!" Chopper shrieked waved his limbs.

"We're not bugs," Elian replied.

"We Time Sprites!" Celeste giggled.

"Time Sprites?" Chopper asked.

"We have a lot to talk about," Chopper tilted his head up to Neo when she spoke. He only nodded as she carried him into her bedroom. She sat down on the bed with him still in her arms. The sprites followed and sat down on the bed in front of the two. They exchanged stories on what had happened to them.

"This is crazy," Chopper said after they all had told their stories.

"And he didn't say anything else to you all about his plans?" Elian asked.

"Nothing," Chopper replied. "He only wanted us to find the shards."

"Where is the shard you found?" Velocity asked.

"I don't know," Chopper looked at his hooves. "I had it a few minutes ago. That monkey thing seems to have disappeared too."

"I assume it went back to Pendulum," Elian crossed his arms. "That must mean that those monkeys have the ability to travel through the Time Stream without the help of the Time Spheres."

"How could that be possible?" Velocity asked. "From what the doctor said, that monkey was just a machine."

"Monkey! Monkey! Monkey!" Celeste cheered as she did cartwheels over the blanket. "Silly little monkey!"

"But it wasn't a monkey or machine that attacked us. It was some kind of fluid thing," Chopper said. "None of our attacks could stop it. Nothing would work on it. Not even Neo's crystals."

"We have no choice but to wait for the others to return," Neo said. They all looked at her.

"I'm sorry, Neo," Chopper said. She looked down at him. Tears were pooling in his childlike eyes. "I wish there was something I could have done to stop that thing. Then you'd still be with Law."

Neo reached up and touched Law's hat. She shook her head and hugged him. "Don't apologize. There was nothing any of us could do to stop it. He'll be here. All of them will come."

"Neo, are you wearing perfume or something?"

"No. Why?" Neo asked, looking down at her reindeer friend sitting in her lap.

"You smell different," Chopper replied, his scanned his eyes over her.

"Bepo has said the exact same thing. I haven't done anything different. Shachi said it was the new smells of Purlieu Island. Maybe it's just the new smells here?"

"That's possible. This place is new. It does smell kinda strange," Chopper looked around the room. "And you have been here for a while. I'm not sure though. This smell you have is kind of familiar…I just can't seem to place it."

Chopper's furry cheeks darkened when his stomach growled. "Guess I'm hungry."

"Let's go down to the kitchen," Neo stood up from the bed. She carried him out of the room with the sprites following after them. Once they had crossed through the living room, the sprites flew ahead of her and Chopper. They started to lay out food on the table as the two entered into the kitchen.

Neo finally released Chopper from her hold. They both sat down. Chopper's eyes sparkled as he looked at the food before him. "Wow! It looks so yummy! Thank you!"

"Some of it might taste kind of strange from what we're use to," Neo said as Chopper started to fill a plate.

"That's okay. After what I've been eating for the past five days," Chopper said as he chomped over several different things. "This stuff is first class food! It's so good!"

The sprites chuckled at his starry eyed expression. Neo felt like laughing too, but she couldn't. Her lips and voice just wouldn't form the action. They had once again left with Law and wasn't going to come back until he was with her again.

Later that night, Chopper sneezed when something flicked his nose. He blinked his eyes opened when his nose was flicked again. Elian was standing in front of him. "What is it, Elian?"

Elian placed his finger over his lips. "Shh. Come with me."

"What for?" Chopper asked as he sat up.

"I need to speak with you," Elian pointed towards the door. "But not here."

"Huh? Why not?" They both looked over at Neo when she let out a light whimper. Chopper reached over and pulled the blanket, that had feel down, back up over her shoulders. He was sleeping on the bed with her. He told her that he would have been fine on the floor, but she had insisted. She felt less lonely with him and the sprites nearby.

"Please, just come with me. I really need to speak with you in private. It's about the princess," Elian said then flew over to the door. Chopper gave him a confused look. He glanced once more at Neo before following after the sprite.

…

 **Author's Notes: Finally! Neo's getting to reunite with her friends. :D I think she really loves holding Chopper. This is the second time they've been like this. And I think he likes being held by her too.**


	21. Reunited Sanji

Reunited

Sanji

Colman and Leta nervously waited as they watched Sanji. They had what little they owned already packed and sitting at their feet. If Sanji won this competition, they were leaving immediately. Before the contest started the boss, of that one gang Sanji spoke to two weeks ago, protested Colman having a substitute. But since it wasn't again the rules Sanji got to cook.

That didn't stop the gang from trying to prevent Sanji from winning. The object they threw at the blonde cook got bigger and bigger with each throw. He easily deflected them all, but it was interfering with his cooking. Soon the time was up. Sanji had to set out his dish and step away from it as the judges made their rounds.

Sanji walked over to Colman and Leta. They all waited. Leta squeezed Colman's hand. After several agonizing minutes, one of the judges stepped up to the microphone. "And Sanji wins!"

Several of the crowd cheered, some were shocked, while the gang was upset.

"He did it!" Leta cried as she hugged Colman. "We can leave here now!"

"Yes," Colman nodded. "Thank you, Sanji. Thank you so much."

"It was my pleasure," Sanji smiled at them. The three then walked over to the prize table to claim what was theirs. Before they could reach it, the boss of the gang and his men stepped between them and the table. "What are you doing? Buzz off."

"This is a joke," The boss pointed at Sanji. "You have no right to win. You have no right to even cook in this competition."

"Bud, let it go," Sanji puffed on his cigarette. "I broke no rules. Now get out of our way."

"Not going to happen," The boss said as he and his men charged at Sanji.

Sanji flipped to his hands and twirled his feet around. He knocked them all away from him and his two friends. He stood back up. All of the gang members were laying on the ground. "Well? Come on. You wanna fight? Then let's fight."

Sanji waited for them to get up, but they didn't. He blinked several times in confusion. "What's wrong? Don't you want to fight me?"

Still the gang members stayed in their defeated positions. Sanji's arms fell to his sides as his shoulders slumped. "You've got to be kidding me! You all are really this weak?! How did you even take over this city?!"

Sanji pulled his eyes from his victims to find Colman, Leta and several others were staring at him. "What?"

"What manner of fighting was _that_?" Someone asked. The crowd began to gather around him asking questions after questions.

"What are you all talking about?" Sanji asked. "Haven't you ever seen marital arts?"

"No. We fight with our claws and wings," Another person said as he raised his hand to show Sanji his retractable claws.

"I see," Sanji replied, finally realizing that these bird people didn't fight like he and the other pirates did. They fought like wild birds would. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. They are birds after all. That would explain why those gang members were so weak. They've never fought against someone like me. They only _look_ tough."

"We can't thank you enough, Sanji," Colman said. He and Leta returned to his side with the prize money and trophy.

"I'm just glad I can help," Sanji smiled at them.

"Here you go," Colman said, holding out the trophy. "A deal is a deal."

"Are you two going to be all right now?" Sanji took the trophy from Colman.

"Yes," Colman nodded, as did Leta. "We will be leaving now. Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"No," Sanji waved the trophy. "I got what I came for. Thanks again for letting me have this."

"Goodbye, Sanji," Leta said as she gave him a hug. "May your travels be a safe."

"Same to you," Sanji smiled and shook Colman's hand. He watched as the two gathered their stuff and flew off. The monkey took the shard off the trophy body. Sanji didn't noticed. One second he was watching his new friends fly off, then next he was standing in front of a house. "Huh? What just happened? Where am I?"

Sanji looked around. He then called out. "Hey! Is anyone here?!"

A few seconds later, he turned when the door to the house opened. Chopper popped his head out. "Sanji!"

"Chopper?" Sanji asked.

"Neo, Sanji's here!" Chopper ducked his head back into the building. He then came running out of the house soon followed by Neo.

"Chopper! Neo!" Sanji called to them as they ran over. "Are you two okay?"

"We're okay," Chopper replied while Neo hugged the cook.

"Are the others here too?" Sanji asked.

"Not yet," Chopper said.

"Are you hurt? Did you fight?" Neo asked. "I can give you an energy boost if you need it."

"No, Neo," Sanji smiled at her. "I did get into a little scuffle, but got no injuries. The only thing I need right now is to see the kitchen."

"The kitchen?" Chopper asked. Sanji didn't say anything else as he headed into the house. Chopper pointed him to the kitchen and he walked over to it. Neo and Chopper watched as Sanji began to dramatically cry and dance around the kitchen.

"So beautiful!" Sanji cried. He rapidly checked out what the kitchen held, all the food, utensils, everything. "I have no idea what kind of food this is or this is, but at least it's not bugs! No more bugs! I don't have to cook bugs anymore! I'm bug free!"

"Sanji, did you hit your head?" Chopper inquired.

"Sanji funny! Sanji funny!" Sanji turned to face the little orange sprite before him. She giggled and blushed then lacked onto his left cheek. "Sanji cute!"

"What the heck?" Sanji questioned. He plucked the sprite off his cheek. The sprite giggled and got hearts in her eyes.

"Sanji cutie!" Celeste giggled.

"Forgive her," Velocity appeared. "She can be a bit of a loon."

"Okay," Sanji released the little sprite. She grabbed onto his cheek again. "I think we have a lot to talk about."

Chopper and Neo nodded. They all sat down at the table and exchanged stories, Sanji going first after his little bizarre kitchen dance. Sanji puffed on his cigarette as he listened to what Chopper and Neo was telling him. After they were finished he stood up and walked back outside with the others following him. "So that thing is important to Pendulum?"

"Yes," Neo nodded.

"We're taking it," Sanji stated.

"What?!" They all cried.

"What do you mean?!" Elian demanded.

"I'm not going to sit around here worrying about my friends. If that thing is important to him then we're taking control of it and demanding he bring our friends back," Sanji said.

"You can't!" Elian shouted. "It's dangerous!"

"It might be dangerous, Elian, but it's not exactly safe to let Pendulum do as he wishes," Velocity replied.

"Elian's right!" Chopper shouted. "We can't do this! Sanji, no! We _really_ can't do this!"

"Are you sure about this, Sanji?" Neo asked. "I told you that tower is protected. If we attack it Pendulum will come back. And he's strong. Very strong."

"I'm sure," Sanji turned to her. "I know you're hurting because Law and your crew's not with you. I won't let Pendulum get away with making such a beautiful woman cry. We're taking this tower. _Now!_ "

Elian flew closer to Chopper. They exchanged worried looks. Neo followed after Sanji when he started walking towards the tower. "Let's go. Once Pendulum arrives I'll kick his a-"

"NO!" Chopper shouted and ran in front of Sanji and Neo. "I can't let you do this!"

"Chopper, what are you doing?" Sanji asked. "Don't you want to get the others back?

"I do. But I can't let you do this," Chopper's eyes filled with tears. "Not this time."

"Why not?" Neo asked, totally confused.

"I can't let you…I can't let you…," The others stood, still confused, as Chopper cried and tried to get his words to come out. "I CAN'T LET YOU FIGHT! I CAN'T LET YOU PUT YOURSELF AND YOUR _BABY_ IN DANGER! _"_

"What are you talking about? What baby?" Sanji turned to Neo. She was staring blankly at Chopper. "Neo, are you pregnant?"

"No," Neo whispered. She shook her head as realization of her getting sick, food cravings and being so sleepy all the time flooded into her eyes. "I'm not. I…I-I can't be."

"I'm sorry, Neo, but you are. That's why you smell so different," Chopper informed her. "I really didn't want to tell you like this because you're so sensitive to new things. I really wanted to wait until Law was here, but I can't wait for that if you're going to insist on fighting. I can't do it! I won't let you put yourself and your baby in danger! I won't let it happen! I can't!"

"Chopper! Why didn't you say something sooner?!" Sanji demanded. He dropped his cigarette and rapidly stomped it out. "I've been smoking around her! My clothes are covered with smoke!"

"I'm sorry," Chopper lowered his eyes to the ground.

"I help!" Celeste removed herself from Sanji's cheek. Her hands started to glow orange. She fired the glow at Sanji, removing the smoke from him and making him smell like an array of flowers. "Better?"

"Yeah, that's great," Sanji inspected his smoke free self. "Thanks."

"Cutie!" Celeste giggled and latched back onto his cheek.

"Of course!" Velocity smacked herself in the face. She then pointed at her brother. "That's why you've been acting so weird! I totally forgot you can sense pregnancies!"

"It's true," Elian flew closer to Neo. "Princess, I'm sorry I kept it a secret. I probable should have…Princess? Are you all right?"

"Neo?" Sanji stepped closer to her. Neo's knees buckled as her eyelids slide closed. Sanji grabbed her before she could hit the ground.

"Neo!" Chopper shouted. He ran to her to check her vitals.

"She's fine, Chopper," Sanji held Neo to his chest. "She just fainted."

"We should take her to her room," Chopper ordered. Sanji nodded then picked their friend up. He followed Chopper and the sprites to her room. He laid her down. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing for you to apologize for," Sanji looked at his doctor. "You did the right thing. She doesn't need to fight."

"What are we going to do now?" Chopper asked.

"We'll just wait for the others," Sanji replied. "I _won't_ put her in danger when she like this."

Chopper nodded in agreement. They then settled down and waited for her to wake up. Several minutes later she did. Chopper leaned over her with a worried look. "Neo?"

She didn't say anything as she sat up. She stared down at her legs for a while before pulling them up to her chest and hugged them. Her voice was low when she finally spoke. "A-Am I really?"

"You are," Chopper replied gently. Neo flinched at his answer.

"I'm so sorry, Princess," Elian floated in front of her. "I probably should have told you. I just thought it would be best for you to hear it from someone you knew better."

"No, Elian," Neo shook her head. She held up her hand for him to land in it. She bent her thumb so he could place his hands on her in a hug like move. "You did what you thought was best. I understand. I'm not upset with you at all."

"If you would like to know…you're about a month and a half along," Elian informed her.

"A month and a half?" Neo questioned softly. "That would have been when Law came home from..."

Her cheeks flushed. Velocity landed on her shoulder. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Princess."

"Princess sad," Celeste pouted.

"You and Law have talked about this, haven't you?" Sanji asked carefully.

"Yes," Neo nodded. "But…we've never talked about actually having kids. I know it's because of me and my past. I don't know…I don't know what he's going to say about this."

"There's nothing for you to be worried about," Chopper hugged her. "He loves you. He won't be upset. He'll understand."

Neo could only hug her knees more. The world around her faded away as she retreated into herself. Chopper looked up at Sanji. The cook replied softly while satting down beside Neo, giving her more comfort. "She'll be fine, Chopper. She just needs to let this sink in."

"What she needs is Law," Chopper said sadly. "And that's something we can't give her."

…

 **Author's Notes: ^_^ Down, down PuddyKatz, easy now. Hee Hee Okay, okay, Elian and Chopper didn't tell her because she's afraid of new things. They both knew it would be better to inform her about it when Law was there. Well, obviously that didn't happen, considering. But she now has Sanji and Chopper to support her until Law arrives. And soon he will. Very soon. :) And the reveal to him will happen! How do you think he'll react? Hmm, I wonder how.**


	22. Reunited Shachi & Luffy

Reunited

Shachi & Luffy

Shachi huffed as he watched Luffy chase after the lizard. He had no idea how the rubber captain still had so much energy. He also had no idea how the Straw Hats could put up with such a man. He felt like he was babysitting a child that refused to listen to a word he said.

He lifted his eyes to the ceiling of the world they were currently in. They were in a cave under the desert. There were so many pathways here. It was a maze. All of the paths were connected. And they have been chasing the lizard for days.

Shachi thought back to that first day there were in the desert. They had almost died because of Luffy's carelessness. Luckily a caravan came by and found them laying in the desert…

"Are you wake?" A woman asked. Shachi looked up into the face of a beautiful dark skinned, dark haired woman with deep green eyes.

"I was right. I did die," Shachi blushed. "I'm in heaven because of that stupid Straw Hat."

The woman laughed. "I think you are all right."

"Where are we?" Shachi asked as he sat up. He was in a hospital gown with an IV stuck in his wrist.

"You're in Papina Hospice," The woman smiled. "I'm Sela. Can you tell me why you were out in the desert without the proper gear? You and your friend almost died."

"Is he all right?" Shachi asked while looked at the bed next to him.

"Yes, you both will be fine," Sela replied. "Now, what were you two doing out there?"

"We kinda lost something. It was taken by a large lizard," Shachi said.

"I see," She nodded. "Well, it's best for you to let it go. Those creatures are impossible to catch."

"No!" Shachi shouted and tried to get up. "I can't! I have to get that back!

"Calm down," Sela placed her hands on his shoulder. "You need to rest."

"No, you don't understand! I _have_ to get that thing back!" Shachi pushed against her hold.

"Please, sir, you need to calm down. If you don't I'll have to sedate you," Sela looked over at a male companion in the room. He nodded and reached into a draw, pulling out a needle.

"No, no! I'll calm down," Shachi laid back down.

"Good," Sela nodded. "You need your rest."

"I'll rest for now, but I have to find that thing. I have to get it fo-" Shachi's voice cut off when his and Luffy's monkey jumped upon the bed. "Look, it's something very important to me. A friend of mine's life might depend upon it. Please, you have to tell me how to catch that thing."

"Someone's life is in danger?" Sela asked.

"Possibly," Shachi nodded. "It's very, very important that I find that lizard."

"I'm sorry. But no one has ever been successful in capturing one of those creatures when they have taken something," Sela said softly. "Many people have died trying to retrieve stolen property."

"Please!" Shachi begged. "You don't understand how important it is! We _have_ to find it!"

"I think you are stupid for going after them, but those creatures live under the desert. They have an entire cave system down there. If you can manage to find one of their holes, which is buried underneath the sand, you just might have a chance at retrieving what you have lost," Sela said. "It's a very small chance. As I've said, no one has ever caught one of them."

"How far underneath the sand are these holes?" Shachi asked.

"I'm not sure," Sela replied. "Some have said the lizards make the holes only a couple feet below the sand while others have said they're several feet below the sand. Several people have see these lizards sunbathing on a rock formation not very far from where you two were found. Its possible that there are some holes there."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Shachi smiled.

"My father owns a store. I can get you the necessary equipment to help you on your mission. Now, get some rest," Sela said as she started to walk away.

"Thank you. Oh, by the way," Shachi jerked his thumb towards Luffy. "He's going to have a _huge_ appetite when he wakes up. You better alert your dinning hall to be prepared."

…

Shachi sighed. It was easy for him to keep their actual mission a secret, but when Luffy woke up that became almost impossible. It took several days before Sela would release them. She said she was holding them for such a long time to make sure they were healthy. Shachi got the impression that she was actually holding them longer than needed because she didn't want them to go after the lizard again. They eventually got away from the hospice.

Decked out in the necessary supplies and a better idea of what they were up against, the two pirates finally returned to the desert. It took them a couple days before they were finally able to find one of the holes Sela told them about. Once they found it, it was a quick trip to the bottom of the cave. The hole turned out to be like a slide for them. It was a bumpy hard one, but it got them where they needed to be.

They expected to be in complete darkness, minus the lanterns they brought with them. But when they picked themselves up from the brutal slide ride, they found that the walls and ceiling of the cave were lit up with some kind of glowing rocks. They quickly set up their campsite, making sure to keep their food with them all the time. There were several lizards all over the place. Some didn't even acknowledge the strangers in their home. They were the older ones. The younger ones took interest in the new comers and tried to steal some of their stuff.

They ended up taking turns watching over their campsite while the other one chased after the same old lizard who refused to give up the shard. Luffy and the lizard ran passed Shachi for what had to be the fortieth time that day. While guarding their campsite, Shachi studied the map the monkey had for them. At first it looked like the lizard was just taking random pathways to confuse them. But then he started to noticed the lizard was actually only take certain paths.

He started formulating a plan in his head. But that plan would require _both_ of them. And he wasn't sure that was such a good idea. It would mean leaving their campsite unprotected. If this plan failed then they would loose everything they had with them. And he wasn't sure they would be able to climb back out of this place to go get more supplies with how deep that slide was. If this plan failed, they would die down here.

"I can't run anymore," Luffy panted. He dropped down onto his back. "It would be so much easier if my Haki worked on that thing. Ugh! When we finally catch that thing I'm going to grill it up! So hungry! Why don't you chase after that jerk for a while?"

"We're going to have to go after it together," Shachi said.

"Huh? You said we weren't supposed to leave our campsite unprotected," Luffy turned his head to look at him.

"We don't have much choice," Shachi replied. "We can't keep running in circles like this. We're not getting anywhere. I think we have a better chance of succeeding if we do this together."

"If you say so," Luffy said. "What are we doing?"

While Luffy rest and caught his breath Shachi revealed to him that the lizard's movements weren't random. He showed Luffy one corner of a tunnel that had a blind spot. He wanted Luffy to wait there while he chased after the lizard. Once the lizard was in sight Luffy was to knock it's lights out. Luffy nodded rapidly while Shachi explained the plan. "You got it?"

"Got it!" Luffy nodded.

"All right. Wait until me and the lizard are out of sight, then run to the corner," Shachi said as he stood up. Luffy nodded again as Shachi headed after the lizard. Once they were out of sight, Luffy grabbed the monkey and headed off.

Several minutes later, Luffy could here them coming. He stood ready and waited for him moment to strike. When the lizard came in view, Luffy threw his hardest punch at it, punching it into the wall. The shard fell out of the lizard's mouth on contact.

"You got him!" Shachi cried as he came upon the down lizard and the broken cave wall. "We can get out of here now!"

"Do we have too?" Luffy cracked his knuckles. "I said I was going to grill this sucker up."

Shachi sighed at the one track mind of the Straw Hat captain. The monkey picked up the shard and teleported them away. Luffy blinked and looked around at his and Shachi's new surroundings. "Hey! Where's the lizard?! I'm hungry!"

"Where are we?" Shachi asked.

"A house! They must have food!" Luffy cried dashing towards it.

"Seriously?!" Shachi screeched, following after him. "Is that _all_ you think about?"

"I want food!" Luffy shouted with his fists raised once he had entered the house.

" _Shut up, you idiot_!" Sanji hissed, striking Luffy over the head. " _Neo is sleeping._ "

"Sleeping?" Shachi asked, rushing over to Neo, who was laying on the couch cocooned in a blanket. He kneeled down and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Is she sick?"

"No," Sanji's voice drawled out the word. "She's not sick. What's that smell?"

"What smell?" Luffy asked.

"It's you!" Sanji pointed at Luffy once he got a whiff of his captain. "When's the last time you've bathed?"

"I dunno. The last time we were on the Sunny, I guess," Luffy replied.

"Sorry about the stink. We've been underground chasing after a lizard," Shachi reported.

"Was that Luffy?" Chopper asked as he came down the stairs. "Hey! You two made it!" "Hey, where the monkey go?" Luffy asked as he looked around. "And why do you have a little orange bug clinging to your cheek?"

"Sanji cutie!" Celeste cooed still with hearts in her eyes.

"It can talk?" Luffy got closer to Sanji.

"Don't stand so close! You smell terrible! Go take a shower! Please!" Sanji shoved Luffy away with his foot. "All the bedrooms upstairs has showers and clothes."

"But I'm hungry!" Luffy shouted.

"Keep it down," Sanji punched Luffy. "You'll wake Neo. Get a shower. _Then_ I'll cook you something."

"Aw," Luffy pouted as he head to the stairs. "Fine."

Shachi pulled himself away from Neo and followed Luffy upstairs. A little while later Neo began to wake up just as Shachi and Luffy were coming back downstairs. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes then noticed the new comers. "Shachi!"

"Hey, princess," Shachi greeted as they rushed to each other. He engulfed her in a hug as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. What about you?" Neo said, scanning her eyes over him. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, just a bit tired," Shachi replied. Neo nodded and summoned her solar crystal. She engulfed Shachi and Luffy in its glow.

"Can we eat now?" Luffy whined.

"Fine," Sanji nodded and headed for the kitchen. The others followed.

Neo hung back when Elian and Velocity landed on her shoulders. Chopper too hung back when he heard Elian's question to her. "Are you going to tell them, Princess?"

"I don't know," Neo replied quietly. "I really need to talk to Law."

"That's okay," Velocity said. "You can wait for him. We'll keep it quiet for now. I'll tell Sanji and Celeste about this."

"Are you sure, Neo?" Chopper asked. She nodded. The small group then entered into the kitchen. Neo sat down beside Shachi as he and Luffy told everyone what they had been doing. Once they were done the others told them their stories.


	23. Reunited Law & Nami P1

Reunited

Law & Nami

Part One

Law grumbled as he tugged at the vest he was wearing as he and Nami stepped out of the back of the van they were riding in. They had just arrived at the Draco Mansion. After a long month of being servers at Bindy's family restaurant and living out in the forest, they were finally where they needed to be.

"Are you two ready?" Bindy said as they started to get all the food out of the vans. "And remember how your supposed to address them. Master Draco, Mistress Draco and Mistress Malinda."

"Yup," Nami nodded. "We'll address them properly. _Right_ , Trafalgar?"

"Hn," Law frowned and narrowed his eyebrows. He didn't like having to address people with such respect like that. He was sick of biting his tongue with rude customers and really didn't want to deal with this prissy family they were getting ready to serve. But he knew it was necessary.

Nami sighed. "Just behave for Neo's sake."

Law's expression lightened at her name. He crossed his arms in a huff. He was so ready to get that shard and get the heck out this miserable place. He looked over at the forest and thought about their plan. The second they found the shard he was going to warp them out of the mansion and to the edge of the forest where they had left their weapons and their monkey.

After several minutes of getting everything together, they loaded their carts with the food and headed into the ballroom. Nami wheeled her cart closer to Law. "Keep it cool. We'll find the shard and be out of here in no ti-"

Nami's voice cut off when they entered into the ballroom. Her eyes widened as Law's narrowed. She gasped for air. "H-How…You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

All of the walls were covered in mirrors. From wall to wall, from floor to the ceiling. Just about every inch of the mansion's walls were covered in mirrors of all shapes and sizes. Bindy walked back over to them. "What's wrong? Why are you just standing there staring?"

"What's with all these mirrors?" Nami asked, breathless.

"Oh, Mistress Draco as a bizarre obsession with mirrors," Bindy replied like it was nothing out of the ordinary. "They're all over the mansion."

"This is crazy! How in the world are we ever gonna fi-" Nami bit her lip.

"What's wrong?" Bindy asked.

"Nothing," Nami replied. "I'm just a bit shocked is all. I've never seen so many mirrors before."

"Okay," Bindy said slowly. "Let's just get to work."

"Right," Nami nodded as Bindy walked off from them.

"We'll just have to check all the ones we can," Law said. "Then we'll have to figure out a way to check the rest. At least the one we're looking for doesn't reflect anything. It still should be fairly easy to find it."

"I guess your right. But we're going to need to stay in the house to find it," Nami said. "And we won't be able to search for it while we have to serve these people."

"We'll think of something," Law said, but he wasn't sure he believed it. Along with all the guards outside there were several inside. It wasn't going to be easy to look for or find their shard while being waiters. They were going to need a way to wonder through the house without raising suspicions.

"Announcing Master and Mistress Draco!" The chamberlain shouted over the noise. The fancy dressed crowd's chatter was silenced when Master and Mistress Draco entered the room. "Thank you all for coming to celebrate this joyous occasion of officially presenting our lovely daughter into society," Master Draco boomed. He was fairly tall, board serpent. His scales were a dark blue and he had black hair. He was wearing a purple robe with a couple thin white striped down the middle of it and a large broach fastened at his neck.

"Yes, thank you all for coming," Mistress Draco greeting softer than her mate. She was wearing a purple velvet dress that matched her husband's robe. Her maroon hair was long, pulled back in a thick braid, and her scales were a dark pink. They stepped aside to allow the chamberlain announce their daughter.

"Announcing Mistress Malinda!" Two guards opened the double doors. A tall, slender young serpent stepped out. Her scales were a soft pink, her hair a few shades darker and her eyes a soft red. Her dress was white and shimmered in the lights. The crowd clapped as the younger boys in the crowd cheered and whistled.

"She seems very popular," Nami said while holding a round tray of food in her hand. She pulled her attention from Malinda and started to serve the guests their appetizers. A couple hours into the event, the festivities were broken up by the sound of glass breaking. People scattered as others wearing ninja like garb broke into the room. One of them grabbed Malinda.

"Ah! My baby! Someone save my baby!" Mistress Draco shrieked.

"Guards! Stop them!" Master Draco shouted.

"Now's our chance!" Law claimed as he dropped the tray he was holding and warped his and Nami's weapons into his hands.

"Our chance for what?" Nami asked as he threw her weather baton at her. He didn't answer her as he ran after the one who grabbed Malinda. "Hey!"

The guards of the Draco Mansion couldn't stand up to the ninjas. They were easily defeated as the kidnappers made their way out of the mansion. Law had warped himself out into the yard. When the ninjas saw him they froze. He waste no time in forming a Room and separating their body parts. Once the group of kidnappers were immobilized Nami struck them with a lightning bolt. Law sheathed his sword and walked over to Malinda. He paused when he noticed her expression was lacking in fear. In fact she was glaring at him.

"Malinda!" Mistress Draco cried as she and Master Draco came running up to them.

"Mama!" Malinda's expression changed. She became distressed and cried as her mother pulled her into a hug. "Mama, I was so frightened!"

"I know, my poor baby," Mistress Draco stroked her daughter's hair. "My poor sweet baby."

"Well, I don't know who you two are, but you sure know how to fight," Master Draco said as he walked up to Law and Nami. "I must insist you join my guard. We could really use you two like you to protect our daughter. Please? If you can protect my daughter like you just did I insure that you will be pay handsomely."

"We accept," Law nodded. Nami raised an eyebrow at him. That's what he meant by 'This was their chance'.

"Come back inside," Master Draco waved an arm towards the mansion. "I'll see to it that the captain of the guard sets you up with the proper attire and gives you a full tour of our property."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Mistress Draco smiled through her tears. "You have no idea how traumatizing this whole ordeal has been."

Mistress Draco helped her daughter stand up and they headed back inside the mansion. Bindy walked over to Law and Nami. "Wow. That was incredible. I know you two said you can fight, but WOW!"

"Sorry, we won't be able to work for you anymore," Nami said.

"Don't worry about it," Bindy waved her hand. "You've done more than enough for us. We won't have another event like this for a while. Besides, I'd take the job offer too."

The three headed back inside the mansion. When they stepped inside Master Draco was announcing that the party was over and everyone should go home. While things were getting cleaned up, the captain of the guard, which was Volos, took Nami and Law and gave them guard uniforms and showed around the mansion.

Later that night, while doing their rounds, Nami and Law searched for the shard. For the higher up mirrors, Nami created clouds. Law switched mirrors around. Some he put back in place others he left switched. He was getting agitated that it was taking so long to find the shard.

They walked into another room and jumped when a voice spoke to them from the darkness. "Looking for this?"

A light clicked on. Sitting in a high back chair was Malinda. She was holding a mirror in her hand that wasn't reflecting anything. It was their shard. Nami and Law moved to grab it from her. "Hold it!"

They froze when she pulled out a small rectangular box with a red button on its top. "One wrong move and I'll alert the entire house and tell them that you two are in fact thieves. I was wondering why you two kept looking at my mother's mirrors. It didn't take me too long to realize you were looking for a certain one. I assume this is the one you are looking for considering it's the _only_ strange mirror my mother has."

"What do you want?" Nami asked.

"I want you to get me out of here," Malinda replied.

"What?" Nami gasped. "What do you mean?"

"You two foiled my escape plans earlier," Malinda waved the shard.

"That would explain why you weren't upset over being almost kidnapped," Law stated.

"What do you mean?" Nami looked at him.

"Before her parents arrived she wasn't upset at all over being kidnapped. If fact she was upset that we stop it from happening. She only turned on the water works when her parents arrived," Law explained. "All of these kidnapping attempt happened on _her_ _orders_."

"But why?" Nami turned her eyes back to Malinda.

"You're a smart man. It was all for fun," Malinda shrugged. "This place is so boring. I'm tired of all the rules, dresses, makeup, balls…I want to have _fun_. I'm also responsible for Bindy's restaurant not about to keep people hired on. I was trying to stop that ridiculous ball my parents wanted. I can't have fun if I'm stuck behind these stupid walls. I want out of here. And you two are going to help me with that."

"You've got to be kidding!" Nami shouted.

"I know you can do it," Malinda pointed at Law. "You somehow were able to teleport weapons into your hands. I know those weapons weren't too close to the mansion. If they were the guards would have found them and confiscated them. I don't know who you people really are and I really don't care. If you want this shard then get me out of here. Do we have a deal?"

"Guess we don't have a choice," Nami said.

"Room," Law formed a room and warped them into the forest. Their monkey turned to look at them.

Malinda danced around. "Finally! Freedom!"

"Give us the shard," Law growled, holding out his hand.

"Very well," Malinda handed him the shard. "A deal is a deal. I'm finally free."

"What are you going to do now?" Nami asked.

"Those who attacked the mansion tonight are friends of mine," Malinda explained. "They might not have been able to handle you two, but they can handle everyone else here. Once they escape I'll meet up with them. Then, who knows? We'll travel all over! And when the Time Spheres start working again we'll leave this place. So, later!"

"She's crazy," Nami said as Malinda ran off. Law didn't hear her as he stared at the shard in his hand. The monkey clicked and chirped before the scenery around them faded away.

"Huh?" Nami lightly gasped when the forest disappeared and was replaced with a smaller one and a strangely shaped house.

"Hey, you made it!" Nami and Law turned when Sanji spoke to them.

"Sanji!" Nami smiled. "Wait. What's that thing hanging on your cheek?"

"Sanji cutie!" Celeste purred.

"Yeah, I'll explain later. It's kind of a long story. I think there's something more important that needs to be taken care of first," Sanji smiled at Law then turned back to the half way opened doors of the house just as Neo came bursting outside.

Neo paused as she stared at him. Her voice was low as she whispered his name. "Law."

…

 **Author's Notes: I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't hate me for another stupid cliffhanger. This one I actually did it on purpose considering the conversation Neo is going to have to have with Law. It'll be longer and well worth the wait. Promise. :)**


	24. Reunited Law & Nami P2

Reunited

Law & Nami

Part two

Tears stream down her cheeks as she ran over to him. Law dropped his sword as he moved towards her. He caught her when she jumped into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck while wrapping her legs around his waist. She banished her wings from her back so he could hold her easier. "Law…You're here."

"I'm here," Law whispered back as he held her and rubbed one hand over her back. She cried for a while before lifting up from him to share passionate kiss.

"Hey, Captain!" Shachi smiled, stepping outside. Law and Neo didn't noticed as their kissing intensified.

Sanji chuckled. "I'm sure we all are happy for you two, but, um, if you are going to continue doing that you might want to consider getting a room first."

The two finally pulled away from their kiss, cheeks flushed. Neo smiled lightly as she dragged her hands through his hair. He pecked her lips. She took his hat off and placed it back on him where it belonged. He smiled and pecked her lips again. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Neo replied softly. She wrapped her arms back around him, pressing her lips to neck as he started to carry her over to the chairs were Nami and Sanji had sat down. At that point she had to unwrapped her legs from him. She sat side saddle on his lap and continued to cling to him.

Shachi picked up his captain's sword and followed them over to the chairs. He was smiling happily as his captain and his captain's wife clung to each other.

"Hey! It's Nami and Traffy!" Luffy shouted as he, Chopper and the sprites exited the house.

Law and Neo didn't notice their friends, or what they were saying, as they got lost in their own little world of each other. Law ran his hand over her body. When he got to her stomach, she involuntary jumped and grabbed his hand. Her cheeks tinted when he gave her a questioning look. "Sorry, I'm just a bit jumpy with everything that's happened."

He studied her while tucking her hair behind her ear then brushed his thumb over her cheek. "Neo, did he touch you?"

"No," Neo lightly shook her head. She placed her hand over his and kissed into his palm. "He didn't."

Neo pause for a second then told him what Pendulum did do. "He…He took me back to the past. I saw you. When you were…"

"Shh," Law cupped her cheek when he saw she was getting upset. "I know he did. I remembered you and him."

"Do you think that's why we wer-"

"No," Law shook his head. "He _might_ have had something to do with me finding you, but he's not the reason I keep you. I'm with you because I love you. You understand that, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, when we get back to the sub I am stitching you to my side. That might be the only way I'm going to keep these nuts from taking you away from me," Law said, lovingly raking his fingers through her hair.

"You'll hear no objections from me," Neo chuckled lightly. She placed a kiss on his neck before raising her eyes to him. She traced her fingers over his cheek before kissing him again.

"Ah, you two are so cute together," Law broke the kiss when his ears registered the unfamiliar, tiny voice. He narrowed his eyebrows at the female spite standing on Neo's shoulder. "I can see why she loves you so much."

"Don't touch her," Law growled as he pluck the little creature off Neo's shoulder.

"Calm down, love," Neo placed her hand on his wrist. "She's a friend."

"So protective," Velocity swooned.

"I officially disown you," Elian reported while hovering near by. He sighed when his sister ignored him and floated down to the ground in bliss. "Anyway, I'm sure you two are tired from your journey. We have showers and attire inside if you wish to use them."

"A shower sounds great," Nami said while standing up. "I smell like cooking oil."

"I'll show you the way. My sister's kind of busy," Elian said, shooting his still swooning sister a disapproving look. "Princess, I'm sure you'll take care of your helpmate yourself."

"Would you like a shower?" Neo asked.

"That would be fine," Law replied as he stood up. Still in his arms, she directed him to the room she was using. When they got close to the door, she summoned an earth crystal. She formed a vine from it and opened the door for them. She used the vine to pull him some clothes and a towel out of the closet as she went back to kissing him. He broke the kiss and sat her feet on the floor. "I won't be long."

"Uh huh," Neo mumbled while pulling him into another deep kiss. They reluctantly pulled away from each other. When Law stepped into the bathroom, Neo went to sit on the edge of the bed. A few minutes later, there was a tap at the door before it opened. Chopper, Sanji and Celeste, who was still clinging to the cook, poked their heads in. They waved her over. She stood up and walked out in the hall, leaving the door slightly opened so she could hear Law. "What is it?"

"Are you going to tell him now?" Chopper asked.

"I really don't have much choice," Neo replied. "He'll notice something is different before too long."

"I'm sure you'll want to do it in private. So you should probably go for a walk," Sanji suggested. "We'll keep everyone else here."

"Thanks," Neo nodded. She was about to go back into the room when Law's frantic voice called her name.

"Neo!" Before she could reach for the door Law flung it opened. His intense expression relaxed when he saw her. He rushed over and pulled her into his arms. "Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry," Neo put her arms around his waist. "I was just talking to the others."

Law finally noticed them. "They could have just come in the room."

Chopper and Sanji stiffened when Law gave them a 'What are you up to' look. He gave her a questioning look when she pulled back from him and tugged on his arm. "If you're not too tired, let's go for a walk."

"If that's what you want," Law slowly nodded. He gave the Straw Hats one more suspicious look before allowing Neo to lead him outside.

"Neo was right," Chopper said as they followed them. "He does notice something's going on."

"Well, that's Law for ya," Sanji stated. "He's always so attentive when it comes to her. She's right by telling him now instead of waiting. I'm kinda surprised that he didn't notice before all this happened."

"He maybe attentive when it comes to her, but he's still human. He's not perfect," Chopper said while they wondered down the stairs. "I wonder what his reaction will be."

"Hey, where are they going?" Nami asked when Law and Neo passed them.

"Wait for me! I'm coming too!" Luffy cried as he started running towards them.

"No, you don't!" Sanji grabbed his captain by his collar and pulled him back. He slammed Luffy into a chair. "You are going to leave them be. They need time alone to talk."

"Talk about what?" Nami asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Don't worry about it," Sanji waved his hand. "Just give them some space for now."

…

Neo's anxiety began to rise with each step they took. She knew he was sensing it too. She had to tell him. She just didn't know how to do it. She tried to suppress her flinching when he spoke. "Neo, what's wrong? I know you're thinking about something. You know you can tell me anything."

Her voice seem to disappear as her eyes dropped to the ground. He released her hand, stepped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders. "Neo, talk to me. I don't like the way you're acting. _Don't_ make me order you t-"

"I'm pregnant," She raised her eyes to him and it blurted out on its own power. Law's eyes widened, his expression went blank as his hands dropped from her shoulders. She couldn't hold back her tears anymore. They poured over her eyelashes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Neo sunk down to the ground as she kept repeating the same words over and over. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Law continued to stare blankly. It wasn't until he hear her sharp, short breathing that he snapped back to reality. She was on the ground, hugging her knees and hyperventilating. His chest tightened when he saw how scared she was. He sat behind her as her breathing choked off her repeating words. He put his left arm around her waist while placing his right hand over her mouth and pressing his thumb to her nose, closing her nostril. "Neo, calm down. It's okay. You're fine. Just relax."

Her breathing slowly went back to normal as he spoke calmly to her. When her breathing was back to normal he removed his hand from her mouth and place his arm around her waist with his other arm. He placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder when she started apologizing again. "Love, why are you apologizing? You have done nothing wrong. I'm the one who messed up. I knew this was always a possibility even though we took precautions. I should have prepared you better for it if it happened. It's _my_ error, not yours. I'm sorry."

Law continued to hold her in his comforting embrace as she finally stopped apologizing. He waited until her sobs slowed down before speaking again. "Will you look at me now?"

He waited patiently for her to turn around on her own. She did after several seconds. She slowly turned around and brought her tear filled eyes up to his. He smiled softly at her and brushed away her tears. "There she is. There's my sweet princess."

"Law, I'm scared. I don't want to be here anymore. I want Penguin back. I want our friends back. And I wanna go home."

"I know," Law kissed her forehead. "You'll get them back soon. Then we can go home. You don't have to be scared. I'm here, love. I'm right here. I've got you now. And I'm not going anywhere. I'm sorry I didn't have a better reaction for you. I was just surprised. I was trying to be so careful with you. I knew you weren't going to be ready for this for a few more years. But sometimes you just can't prevent this no matter how careful we were trying to be."

He shifted his arms so he could place both his hands on her stomach. "Neo, I _will_ protect this child, _our_ child, just like I have and always will protect you."

He slid his arms back around her as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Her tears finally stopped. She drifted off to sleep in his secure embrace. He kissed her forehead again before snuggling against her. His mind going over all the pregnancy signs that he had missed, that should have been obvious, the pickles, sleeping more, how Bepo said she smelt differently…He should have noticed. He should have protected her better.

His frustration with himself was soon replaced with rage towards Pendulum. That creature not only took his love away from him, but also their child. That creature had put them both in danger. And he was going to make sure that Pendulum paid for that. His anger was broken when he felt Neo grasp ahold of his shirt in her sleep. He warped them over to a tree so he could lean against it and hold her in a more comfortable position. He sighed and snuggled into her again, pressing his lips into her hair as he waited patiently for her to wake up.

…

"Hm," Neo stirred in her sleep before opening her eyes. She brought her tired eyes to Law's. "Sorry, I fell asleep."

"Neo, don't apologize for that. Your body is going through changes now. When you're tired you rest. Do you understand me?" Law asked, brushing his thumb over her cheek. She nodded tiredly.

"How long was I out?" She asked.

"About an hour," Law replied then paused. "Would you like to go back now?"

"Yeah," She nodded. Neither one of them moved. There was still something else that needed to be asked.

"Would you like to tell them now or wait?" Law asked softly.

Neo didn't answer him right away. She thought about it while snuggling into his chest. "We should tell them. They already know something's going on. Besides, Sanji, Chopper and the sprites already know. Chopper noticed when he arrived like Bepo did at the amusement park. Elian confirmed it because he can detected them. Sanji wanted to take that tower over there. But when Chopper and Elian told us about me being…None of them would let me fight."

"They did the right thing. You have no business fighting right now," Law said as he raked his finger tips through her hair. Eventually they finally stood up.

"Are you…upset?" Neo asked. Her eyes were down on the ground and raised her hand to her stomach. "Disappointed?"

"Neo, look at me," When she raised her eyes he captured her lips with his. He broke the kiss and pressed their foreheads together. "No, I'm not upset or disappointed. I would have preferred this to happen at a later date, when you are more ready for it, but it's here. There's nothing we can do that will change that. I think we both just need time to let it sink in that it's really happening. We _are_ in this _together_. And I still love you, very much."

"And I still love you," Neo said as Law leaned down and kissed her again. He then took her hand and lead her back to the others. "So you've actually thought about having kids before? With me?"

Law squeezed her hand and gave her a soft smile. "I have. You make me think about a lot of stuff that I never dream I would have before I met you."

When they got back it was obvious they others were waiting for them to return. Luffy was playing around with the sprites. Using their magic, they had him suspended in the air and he was laughing like the child he is. They sat him down on the ground and turned to Law and Neo. Nami was the one who spoke first. "Is everything okay?"

Neo looked at Law. He nodded to her. She turned back to the others. "Yes, everything's fine. But there is something…we have to tell you all."

Her voice seem to disappear. She couldn't bring herself to say the words again. Law squeezed her trembling hand and told them for her. "Neo's pregnant."

Those who didn't know let out surprised gasps. Shachi rushed over to her and hugged her. He tried to formulate words, but nothing would come. "I'm sorry, Shachi. I should have told you sooner."

"No, no, you didn't have to. I understand that you would want to talk to the captain first," Shachi hugged her again. He kissed her cheek. "I just realized the danger that jerk Pendulum has put you in. Do you need anything? Anything at all?"

"No, Shachi," Neo gave him a soft smile, giving him a kiss to the cheek. "I'm good."

"Neo?" Nami asked carefully. Neo turned her eyes to the other female. It was obvious the orange haired woman didn't know what to say.

"It's okay, everyone. No one has to say anything. This is just something we're both going to have to adjust to," Neo looked at Law. He squeezed her hand again. "It's a one step at a time thing."

"Okay," Nami hugged her then. "Just let us know if you need anything."

"Thanks, Nami," Neo hugged her back. When they pulled away from their hug Neo noticed Luffy. He was standing slightly bent over, cupping his chin in his fingers and staring intensely at her stomach. "Luffy?"

"So there's really a baby in there, huh?" Luffy asked, holding his position.

"Yes," Neo drawled the word out. She was unsure of what Luffy was up to or thinking.

"So who's the father?" Luffy asked. Everyone, but Law and Neo, crashed to the ground with an exasperated groan.

"Are you serious?!" Nami, Chopper, Shachi and Sanji shouted as they whacked Luffy over the head. "After all this time you haven't noticed?!"

"Ouch! What was that for?" Luffy whined while rubbing his head.

Law sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Straw Hat, I told you all back on Punk Hazard that Neo and I got married."

"Really? I don't remember that," Luffy tried to recall that bit of information. "Nope, I don't remember it."

"Is this guy really _that_ stupid?" Velocity asked as she and Elian studied the Straw Hat captain.

"Apparently," Elian said.

"You're an idiot, Straw Hat," Law grumbled. They all turned to Neo when her bell filled laughter rang out.

"Sorry," Neo said, brushing away the tears her laughter had brought. She reached out and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "Thanks, Luffy. I really needed that."

Luffy gave her a bright grin before leaning back down to her stomach. "Hello, baby! I'm your Uncle Luffy! And I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

"Straw Hat, you are _not_ our child's-"

"Let it go, Law," Neo cut him off. "You know how Luffy gets when he sets his sights on something. Remember how he trapped you in friendship?"

Law let out an irritated sigh at the memory of unintentionally becoming a friend to this straw hatted nut. He kissed her temple. "At least he made you laugh. I can let it go for you."

…

Law sighed as he stared up at the fake night sky above him, his arms crossed over the railing. He couldn't sleep. His mind kept going over all the pregnancy signs he had missed and how angry he was at Pendulum for putting this love in danger and making her cry. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even noticed Sanji, with Celeste sleeping on his head, beside him until the blonde spoke. "Kinda ironic how we can take down any kind of tyrant that shows his face and challenges us to battle and yet it's this tiny, unborn baby that brings us to our knees."

Law just sighed again in response.

"You know, everyone is scared when it comes to having their first child," Sanji pointed out. He caught Celeste when she rolled off his hair. He smiled lightly at the sprite when she grabbed onto his finger and mumbled how cute he was in her sleep. "But you two will do just fine. You have a great support system. You have your crew, you have us and, most importantly, you have each other."

Silence fell between the two men before Law finally spoke up. "Thank you, Black-Leg. You, Tony, the sprites…you all protected her when you found out. I don't know how I can ever repay you for that. You have no idea what it means to me that you took care of her."

"Don't worry about it. Of course we protected her. Both of you are our friends," Sanji replied. "You should get some sleep. I'll keep watch. I'm sure she misses you by her side even when she's sleeping."

A smile formed on Law's lips. Sanji was right. Neo didn't like it when they were separated from each other, even when she was sleeping. "Thanks, Black-Leg."

"You are very welcome," Sanji waved as Law headed back inside the room.

Despite wanting alone time with her, Law decided it would be best for them all to remain close to Neo. So they all gathered up blankets and sleeping pads to stay in Neo's room. Law wondered through the sleeping bodies on the floor as he made his way over to the bed.

He propped up on his elbow to watch her sleep. She was laying on her right side, facing him. She let out a low whimper and curled into herself. He leaned over to her, brushing their cheeks together, he spoke softly to her. "I'm here, my love. You have nothing to fear, even from a dream."

She let out a low sigh as she relaxed. When he looked at her, her eyelids fluttered open. She smiled sleepily at him. "Hey."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"Kiss me," He leaned back over and kissed her lips caressingly.

"Go back to sleep now," Law gently ordered, stroking the back of his fingers over her cheek. She watched him for a few seconds before closing her eyes. He watched her sleep for a while longer before finally going to sleep himself.

…

 **Author's Notes: TOUCHDOWN! Lol! Finally kissing again! I love you all for putting up with me and my ridiculous cliffhangers. I seriously have no idea why I keep landing on them. This is the first time ever. But for the last chapter, they're not done on purposes. :/**


	25. Reunited Bepo, Brook & Usopp

Reunited

Bepo, Brook & Usopp

"My mom said it was like someone kept reaching up deep inside of her, grabbing hold of whatever internal organs they could grab and trying to tug them out!" Velocity chortled. "It was like a game of tug of war with her insides!"

"One woman in my village said it was like having your insides twisted, pulled and squeezed. She said if she fought the pain it became worse. Once she surrendered and accepted the pain it was more bearable. She said it was like getting caught in the undertow of a wave with intense searing pain in her lower back," Nami replied back.

"My mom's best friend said her labor was like menstrual cramps multiplied by a billion. She felt like her abdomen was trying to squeeze out everything inside her, not just the baby. The pain came in waves and carrying on intensity throughout the entire laboring process. It was tolerable one time then it was extremely intense the next time. She has a high tolerance for pain and it was definitely the hardest thing she has ever done," Velocity nodded philosophically. "It's definitely the hardest thing a woman has to go through."

Neo stared at Nami and Velocity with a fearful expression on her face. She had her hands on the couch between her thighs. She was gripping the cushion so hard that her fingers punctured the upholstery as the two other females in the room showered her with painful labor stories. Elian was the only one who noticed. "You two should really cool it with the labor stories. You're scaring the poor thing."

The two young women didn't seem to hear him as they continued on with more painful labor stories. Elian huffed and crossed his arms. He turned to Law when the pirate walked back into the room and questioned the situation. Nami and Velocity's voices immediately cut off when he spoke. "What's going on?"

"They're _enthralling_ your girl with painful labor stories," Elian said. He flew up to Neo's fear filled face. He snapped his fingers to try and get a response from her. "I think they broke her."

Nami frozen in stone while Velocity, not knowing Law like Nami did, continued to talk. "What? We're only speaking the truth. You men will never understand child birth."

Law shot Nami and Velocity a 'You've got two seconds to get away from her' glare. Nami chuckled nervously as she plucked Velocity from the air and dashed towards the kitchen. "I think I hear Sanji calling for us. Coming, Sanji!"

"Women," Elian shook his head before heading outside where the rest of the group currently was.

Law sat down beside Neo. He put his left around her and took ahold of her wrists. "Neo, love, let go now. Come on. Relax your hands."

He rubbed his thumbs over the back of her hands for several seconds before she finally released the cushion. She let out a soft whimper as he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her into his chest as he leaned back against the couch. She brought her feet upon the couch and snuggled into him with another soft whimper. "I don't wanna do this."

"It'll be all right," He kissed her temple a couple times. "I've got you, love. They _won't_ speak to you like that again. Let me distract you now."

Law tilted her chin up and enticed her into kissing him.

…

"Here you go, papa," Bijou said as she handed her father a cup of hot tea. He thanked her as she pushed herself upon the ice desk in the lobby. Leaning over, resting her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand, she watched the three new workers that have been with them for just over a month. "Papa, what do you think really think of those three?"

"What do you mean?" Gnash asked.

"Well, they've been here for a month and two days," Bijou replied. "Yet we really don't know anything about them. And what's with the monkey? Usopp says he's their pet, but they don't ever play with him. They don't feed him, walk him, nothing. They came here with no money, no place to live, no proper winter attire…"

"I'm sure they have their reason for not telling us about themselves," Gnash said as he chipped away at the ice. "If they wish to tell us why they are so down on their luck they will. Now, I know I've taught my daughter not to pry into one's life."

"I'm not prying," Bijou replied. "I'm just curious. Bepo's kinda cute. He can be so timid at times. I'd like to know more about him."

"Back to work, young lady," Gnash said after clearing his throat. Bijou giggled as she hopped off the desk. She wondered back over to her work spot and picked up her stools, settling back into her work.

Usopp groaned before letting his face slam against the ice wall. He slid down it and flopped onto the icy floor. "I can't do this anymore. My arms hurt so much. I think they're about to fall off."

"This is quiet some hard work," Brook said while pausing at chipping the ice away. He looked over at the hard working bunnies. Bepo also paused, but momentarily before going back to work on his section of the ice. "I'm impressed that they keep doing this day after day."

"Oh shut up!" Usopp snapped.

"My, my, aren't you cranky," Brook laughed.

"Cranky?!" Usopp jumped back up to his feet. "I have every right to be cranky! I'm sick of this place! Didn't you hear me a minute ago? My arms are about to fall off! My nose and lips are beyond chapped! I'm gonna need an entire boat load of lotion to get it soft again! I'm sick of this place! I wanna go back to the Sunny! And I'm sick of eatiPng rabbit food! Seriously! When we finally do get back I'm forbidding Sanji from ever serving vegetables again! I wanna steak! I want some fish! _I want meat_!"

"You sound just like Luffy," Brook laughed again. Usopp jumped on the tall skeleton and started to strangle him. Soon their little brawl was interrupted by unfamiliar voices. They exited the small room they were working in and took in the new comers.

"Excuse me?" A voice rang out. "We were sent here from the foundation."

"Huh?" Gnash and Bijou stopped working and looked at the group of six bunnies that just walked into the ice building carrying tools.

"Hey, pops, I'm abo-" Kobet came walking out of the room he was working in and paused when he saw the new workers.

"What's going on?" Tippy asked as he and Jigsaw started down the stairs. "Who are you?"

"We're from the foundation," The worker said again.

"But we already have help from the foundation," Bijou said as she looked over at Brook and Usopp.

"Looks like the jig is up," Brook said calmly.

"What jig? Who the heck are you people?!" Jigsaw demanded as he tapped one of his tools in his hand.

"Oh, well, you see," Usopp stuttered as he tried to think up a lie. Bepo, unaware of what was going on just a few feet away from him, smiled as he chipped away the last bit of ice to reveal the shard they were after. He pulled it out of the ice and peered into the reflection-less object. He then turned to the others.

"Hey! I finally have it!" Bepo announced for everyone to hear.

"Great! Let's go!" Usopp said as he grabbed Brook and ran over to the bear. He grabbed the shard from Bepo and shook it. "We have you! Now get us out of here!"

"Have what?" Gnash asked as all the bunnies started to enter the room. They all looked upset and confused.

"Calm down," Brook held up his hands. "We meant no harm."

"You three had better start talking," Gnash said as he held out his ice pick to the three pirates.

"Ah!" Usopp shouted. In his hysterical dance he didn't notice the monkey taking the shard from his hand. "I don't wanna die! Luffy! Sanji! Zoro! Someone save me!"

"Hey, Usopp," Brook tapped the sniper's shoulder. "We're no longer in the ice hotel."

"What?" Usopp paused midair.

"Usopp, Brook!" Luffy called to them as he, Chopper and Shachi ran over to them. "You guys made it!"

"Luffy?" Usopp blinked rapidly, taking in their unfamiliar surroundings. "Where are we now?"

"It's kind of a long story," Chopper replied. "We'll fill you in over lunch."

"Lunch?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah, Sanji and Nami are here as well," Chopper answered. "So is Law."

"I get to eat a real meal," Usopp said, drooling and crying heavily.

"Bepo," Shachi greeted his bear friend.

"Shachi, where are the others?" Bepo asked.

"The captain and Neo are inside," Shachi informed him. "Penguin's not here yet."

As the group headed inside, the three former ice workers took off their heavy coats. Once inside, Bepo walked over to the couch where Law was holding Neo close to his chest. The captain had his left arm around her, snuggly tucking her into his side, and his right elbow was on the armrest with his cheek resting against his fist. Both had their eyes closed. Law, being the light napper that he was, opened his eyes first. "Bepo."

"Captain," Bepo greeted him as he kneeled down to look at Neo. He blinked a couple times and tilted his head at the sleeping woman in his captain's arms. Law gently shook Neo. She hummed and shifted her position before waking up. He gave her a light smile before turning his eyes back to the bear. She followed his gaze.

"Bepo!" Neo sat up and hugged the bear. She pulled back and took his fuzzy cheeks into her hands. "Are you injured?"

"No, Neo, I'm not," Bepo replied. "I know I haven't seen you in over a month, but, um, there's _something_ different about you."

"Oh, well, about that," Neo looked at him then back at Law.

"Bepo," Law called.

"Captain?" Bepo looked over at his captain.

"Do you remember at the amusement park when you said Neo smelled different?" Law asked. Bepo nodded. "Well, there's a reason for that."

"And what's that?" Bepo asked curiously.

"Bepo, I'm," Neo started, but was still unable to stay the word. She turned to Law and allowed him to fill in the word.

"Neo's pregnant," Law said calmly. Bepo blinked rapidly while he passed his gaze between, his captain, Neo and Shachi.

"You're going to have a baby?" Bepo asked innocently.

"Yes," Neo nodded, leaning back into Law's arms for comfort. Bepo let out a tender 'Ah' while staring at Neo's stomach. She smiled at how cute he looked. She could tell that he was carefully processing the information and memorizing her new scent.

"Is she really?" Usopp asked. Luffy gave him a toothy grin.

"Lunch is ready," Sanji announced, stepping out of the kitchen.

"Great! I'm starv-" Usopp paused and stared at his crew's cook. "Um, Sanji, you have a little something on your cheek."

"Yeah," Sanji chuckled affectionately at the little sprite clinging to him. "Ain't she cute?"

"You're cute!" Celeste chirped back. She kissed his cheek and giggled.

"Kidnapping balls, weird robot monkeys, ice chipping bunnies and now a little bug clinging to a cook's cheek," Usopp's shoulder drooped. "Can this get any weirder?"

"Wait until you hear what me and Shachi had to do!" Luffy grinned as they all started to make their way into the kitchen.

"I'm really not hungry," Neo announced when Law guided her up from the couch.

"You need to eat something," Law ordered softly. "At least a little bit."

"Can I sit on your lap?" Neo questioned.

"If that is what you wish," Law said, he kissed her cheek. "And if it will get you to eat."

"Okay," Neo nodded. She wrapped her arm around his waist and allowed him to guide her into the kitchen.


	26. Reunited Penguin & Robin

Reunited

Penguin & Robin

Penguin grumbled as he and Robin stared at the holographic map the monkey produced for them. It took them two weeks and four days riding in that sub to this strange underground island they were currently on. There seemed to be no life, other than plant life, living on this island and the only other thing here was a dormant volcano and a small spring of fresh water. Yet, somehow, they were unable to make headway on getting the shard they were after. They've been going after the shard for two weeks and three days now. Another mystery that they couldn't figure out is how this underwater island had sunlight. They couldn't see the sun anywhere.

When they first arrived on the island, it was dark. The shard was just over a mile away from them, but they were too tired from their long journey on that tiny sub that they decided to make camp and go after it in the morning. When they woke up, much to their surprise, the shard had moved several miles away from them. They trekked about half of those miles before night fell upon them. They settled down into their new campsite and slept through until morning. Again they woke to find the shard had moved several more miles away from them.

They had assumed that there was someone living down here, but no matter where they went they found no signs of life. Penguin scratched his hat, his head, in frustration. Today seemed a lot warmer than the rest of the days they've been here so he had the top of his overalls tided around his waist. "I just don't get it."

"There's obviously something we're missing," Robin replied back. Penguin tossed her a glance from underneath his hat. If he wasn't so worried about Neo, he would be enjoying the beautiful woman's presences more. Her pants had gotten torn up, as well as his overalls, on their journey. She had ripped them off into short shorts. The black haired woman pealed her a banana and slowly ate it.

The only food they found on the island was fruit. At least it was something, but they were getting a little tired of eating the same thing day after day. They both were ready to get out of there. If only they could figure out who, or what, had their shard. Penguin was about to loose his cool with he felt something. "Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Robin inquired.

"I thought I felt something," Penguin replied. They went quiet and held still. Then they both felt it. There was a low rumbling in the ground.

"What do you think that is?" Robin asked.

"Well, there's only one thing I can think of," Penguin said, his eyes raised to the volcano. Robin followed his gaze. Sure enough a thin layer of smoke was rising out of it's opening. He jumped to his feet. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"I wonder if the shard would be able to withstand molten lava," Robin wondered out loud.

"This can't be happening," Penguin looked at the map again. The shard was fairly close to the volcano. The volcano rumbled louder this time and started to spit fire. "We have to get to that shard! Now!"

Robin tossed away her half eaten banana and followed after the Heart Pirate. The volcano became more active. It rained down fire rocks, catching some of the foliage on fire. As they ran Robin heard something. "Wait!"

"What is it?"

"I heard a voice."

"A voice?"

"Listen," Robin raised her finger to her lips.

"Help me!" A small, scared voice cried out. "Mama! Help!"

The two pirates exchanged looks then followed after the small voice. They gasped when they found who it belong too. In the middle of a ring of fire was a small tree about a foot tall. It was moving, trying to get out of the fire. And it had eyes, a mouth, arms, hands and fingers. It used its roots as legs. "Help me! Mam-"

The little tree gasped when it saw Penguin and Robin watching it. It closed its eyes and shivered when Penguin kneeled down. Penguin began to scoop up dirt and tossed it onto the fire. When the tree finally opened its eyes it was greeted with a smile from the man. "Hello there. Are you all right?"

"Y-Yes," The tree replied.

"Are you a native to this island?" Robin asked with a soft smile.

"I l-live here," The tree squeaked.

"Are there others like you?" Robin inquired.

"Yes," The tree whimpered. "My mama is nearby. Somewhere."

"Penguin, this might be why we couldn't catch up with the shard. And why we couldn't find anyone here," Robin said.

"Agreed," Penguin nodded. "The natives are trees. Who would have guessed?"

"Yes, we are trees," The tree said. "Are you the two who created the fire?"

"The fire?" Robin asked.

"There hasn't been fire on this island since the volcano stop spitting it," The little tree explain. "That is, until you two showed up."

"I think I understand," Robin nodded. "Your kind doesn't like fire because you're trees, right?"

"That's right," The tree replied. "When we saw your fire we moved away from you, but you kept following us."

"And there's our answer," Penguin said.

"We're very sorry that we scared you all," Robin said. "We only started the fires so we could see and keep warm. We made sure that we put them out. And the only reason we were following you is because one of you have something important that we really need."

"Oh, I see," The tree finally smiled. "Well, you helped me, so you must be good. I can spread the word that you mean us no harm."

"That would be very helpful," Robin said. Just then the volcano erupted.

"It won't be helpful if the shard gets covered or destroyed in lava," Penguin pointed out. "We have to get to that shard. Now!"

"Excuse me, little one," Robin kneeled down and pointed at their map. "This is where the shard is. Do you think you can get whoever has it to come towards us while we head towards them?"

"Yes, I can send them a message," The tree said then closed its little eyes. A wind blew through the forest. Penguin and Robin both felt a strange shift in the air around them. It felt like nature was waking up and passing along the little tree's message. The tree opened its eyes and smiled at them. "Everyone understands. They'll meet us on the way."

"That's great," Robin smiled back. "We really appreciate the help."

"You're welcome. Come this way," The tree signaled for them to follow it. As they hurried along the volcano became more and more active.

"We're too slow," Robin said as lava began to pour down the volcano's sides.

"Then maybe I can assist you," A deeper voice spoke to them.

"Mama!" The little tree cried as a larger tree thumped up to them. The larger tree held out its branch like hand to Robin and Penguin. "You got my message!"

"Climb on," The larger tree said. Robin, the monkey and Penguin did without question. The tree raised its hand up and started through the forest.

"Thank you," Robin said.

"Thank you for saving my baby," The tree said as they ran through the forest at a faster pace than before. While the tree carried them through the forest the volcano slowly began to go back into its dormant state.

"It's not going to erupt?" Penguin asked.

"It usually doesn't," The mama tree said. "Sometimes it just acts up. It still puts us on edge, however."

"That's understandable," Robin nodded. A few minutes later the tree halted. Several other trees began to move and take notice of the two humans in their friend's branch hand. The trees chattered on about them and the fires they build. "We're sorry for scaring you all with the fires we had made. We meant no harm."

"It is quite all right," The oldest looking tree of the bunch said. "You did not know of our existence here. What is it you are looking for?"

"A piece of a mirror shard," Robin replied. She looked at the map then up at the tree it should be in. "I believe it might be stuck in your branches."

"You might be right," The tree said. "I've had this really odd sensation at the base of one of my branches, but no one could reach it."

"Would it be all right if I take a look?" Penguin asked.

"Be my guest," The tree held out its branch and allowed Penguin to climb onto him. Penguin made his way up the tree's branches with the guidance of the tree. "Up to your right a little bit and you should see it."

"I got it," Penguin said, making his way up to the branch. There, stuck into the bark, was the shard. "I'm going to take it out now. Sorry in advance if it hurts."

Penguin jiggled the thing out then made his way back to Robin and the monkey. He landed back on the branch with Robin and held up the shard. "I have it."

Robin nodded with a light smile on her face. While the two were exchanging their thanks, apologies and goodbyes with the trees the monkey grabbed the shard. Soon Robin and Penguin found themselves outside of the strangely shaped house. Everyone was sitting outside when they appeared.

"Robin, my sweet!" Sanji spun over to her as the rest of the Straw Hats followed. "It has been far too long! You are as lovely as ever!"

"I'm glad to see you all have made it here safely as well," Robin greeted her friends. Her eyes lingered on the little sprite clinging to Sanji, but she didn't question it. There would be time for that later.

"Penguin!" Neo cried, rushing over to the man as Law followed at a slower pace. She threw her arms around his neck, kissed his cheek a couple times and cried. "Your here! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Neo," Penguin replied, hugging her back and full of relief to see her safe. He pulled back and cupped her face in his hands. "I'm glad to see you are okay. I was so worried about you."

"Glad you made it!" Shachi greeted his friend with a smile and a pat on the back. "We have _a lot_ to talk about."

"What's going on?" Penguin asked when he noticed a shift in the atmosphere around them.

"Um, Penguin," Neo said, taking the man's hands. "There's something you and Robin need to know."

"What is it?" Penguin turned his attention back to the young woman. Robin turned her eyes to Neo as well.

"I'm, uh," Neo looked down at the ground as Law took his place by her side. He knew that she would want to tell Penguin herself, in whatever way she could, so he remained silent. Still unable to get the words to come out of her mouth, she took Penguin's hand and placed it on her stomach. Sensing his confusion she brought her eyes up to his and gave him a light smile with her eyebrows turned up slightly.

They all watched as Penguin's face slowly began to fill with realization at what she was telling him. He stared down at his hand on her stomach. Neo casted a quick glance over at Robin. The woman had immediately understood the gesture and gave Neo an understanding smile and a nodded. Neo returned a timid smile before turning her eyes back to Penguin. He darted his eyes from hers to Law's. Law nodded in conformation that his subordinate was looking for. Penguin jerked his eyes to Shachi and Bepo who were grinning like drunken idiots. "Y-You mean…Y-You're…B-B-But how?"

"Oh, Penguin," Shachi chuckled as he patted his friend's shoulder. "I thought you knew _how_ years ago. Or does the captain need to have _The Talk_ with you now?"

The color drained out of Penguin's face as his knees buckled. Neo clenched his hands as Shachi and Bepo propped their friend up.

"Is he going to be okay?" Usopp asked.

"I think he's in shock," Velocity said.

"Y-You mean she's…Y-You're…" Penguin started to stutter again.

"That's right, ol' buddy," Shachi chuckled. "Our baby's having a baby."

Suddenly Penguin snapped. His face turned red as steam poured from his ears as he began to curse, threaten and demand Pendulum to come out and pay for what he's done to _his little_ _sister_. Nami cocked her head a bit as she watched Bepo and Shachi chase Penguin around, trying to get him to calm down. "Well, he's taking it a lot better than I thought he would."

"You call _that_ a good reaction?" Usopp asked.

"Is he going to be all right?" Elian asked, but no one could really answer that.

"Law," Neo grabbed Law's shirt and tugged on it a few times, without taking her eyes off the ranting man. "Law, do _not_ let him do anything stupid. Please, _promise_ me you won't let him be stupid!"

Law, his eyes also remaining on Penguin, placed his hand over hers. He gave her hand a light squeeze. "I promise, love. I won't let him be stupid."

After several minutes, Penguin finally walked back over to Neo. She took his face in her hands. "Penguin, please, calm down now. You're scaring me."

"Okay, Neo," Penguin took ahold of her wrists. "I'm calming down."

"Why don't you take a hot shower? You'll feel better after that. I'm sure you and Robin would love to freshen up," Neo said. She turned her eyes to Elian. "Elian, will you please show them to the showers?"

"Of course, Princess," Elian nodded and signaled for them to follow him. Penguin kissed Neo's forehead before taking off after Robin and Elian.

"He's going to be fine," Law said while putting his arm around Neo's shoulders.

"We'll all keep an eye on him," Shachi added. The group headed back inside the house.

"Thanks, guys," Neo smiled lightly, but was still obviously worried over Penguin. Once they had sat back down, Neo curled into Law's side. She closed her eyes until she heard Penguin and Robin rejoin them. Penguin sat down right beside Neo. She could easily sense he was still furious, but was keeping his emotions in check so he wouldn't scare her again. She reached over and placed her hand over his. Penguin lifted her hand to his lips and placed a small peck on the back of her hand. She smiled at him before laying back against Law and closed her eyes again.

…

 **Author's Notes: FINALLY! Neo has her brother back! I so couldn't wait for this chapter to happen. I love their relationship just as much as I love her relationship with Law. ^_^**

 **sarge1130: Can Law even do that with his devil fruit? I actually never thought about it. I looked up his powers online, but it never said one way or another if he can take away pain like that.**


	27. Reunited Zoro & Franky

Reunited

Zoro & Franky

Zoro growled as he slicked up more of Rumble's henchmen. For a month and two weeks, they've helped Cressida and Ky finish up the beacon to free the cyborgs. Franky proved to be very useful in doing that. With Cressida's and Ky's help he learned quick about their technology. However, it wasn't quick enough. They were about to finish up the beacon when Rumble, somehow, was able to confirm his suspicion that Cressida and Ky were up to something. In a surprise attack he damaged a good part of their work and took both Cressida and Ky hostage.

After fighting off some of Rumble's henchmen in the attack, Zoro found that they weren't as tough as they seemed. They couldn't handle the swordsman very well. Franky decided it would be best for him to stay behind and repair the damage that Rumble had caused while Zoro went after Cressida and Ky. After a warn from Franky, to not cause too much damage to Rumble's henchmen because they were cyborg slaves, the friends separated.

Zoro was now slashing his way through Rumble's henchmen as he made his way to the goon's mansion where their new friends were being held. He knocked one of the cyborgs down then grabbed him but the front of his shirt. "Ky! Where is he?!"

The cyborg pointed down the hall. Zoro dropped him and headed in the direction the cyborg had pointed. He found several guards outside a room. He knocked them out easily and busted into the room. Inside, several of Rumble's henchmen were beating up Ky.

Zoro easily freed him. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine," Ky said after coughing up little blood. "We have to get to Cress."

The two stood up and after a bit of persuasion one of the guards told them where Rumble had Cress. They rushed off to the other side of the mansion.

…

Cressida was bound by her ankles and wrist on a bed. She could tell by the way the room smelled it was Rumble's. She watched him carefully as he wondered around the room. Sometimes he would look at her. Other times he would look around the room. Eventually he walked over to the bed and looked down at her. "You have been a royal pain, you know?"

"Say the creep who has slaves," Cressida hissed at him.

Rumble chuckled as he crawled onto the bed. He hovered over her. He ran his hand down her side. "I've tried to kill you so many times. Yet, I never managed to succeed. Ever wonder why?"

"You're just a lousy shot," Cressida glared.

"Maybe I didn't want you dead. Maybe I just wanted you under my control," Rumble said as he continued to run his hands up and down her sides. "But you've fought me at ever turn."

"And I'll keep on fighting," Cressida replied. "You won't get away with this."

"And who do you think is going to save you?" Rumble leaned down and kissed her neck. "That machine? It can't do anything to save you. He's dead by now."

"He's not," Cressida said confidently but tears began to pool in her eyes. "He will come."

"No, he won't," Rumble said, trailing kissed alone her neck up to her lips. "You are mine now."

"Neve-" Rumble cut her off with his lips. He immediately shoved his tongue in her mouth, making her gag. He continued to kiss and run his hands over here. He barely registered the doors being broken in as he continued.

"Get off of her!" Ky screamed as he rammed into Rumble. The two collide with the wall.

Zoro freed Cressida and helped her sit up while Rumble and Ky exchange blows. Rumble knocked the cyborg a few feet from him. Ky recovered and plowed back into the other man. The two proceed to trade punches and kicks. Zoro blinked at the two fighting. "This could go on forever."

"Leave them be," Cressida says. "Rumble deserves this."

"Zoro, take her and go!" Ky ordered.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" Cressida shouted back. "We're in this _together_ if _you_ stay then I stay!"

"You should take her advice, _machine_ ," Rumble chuckled darkly while he pulled out a gun. With his lightning speed, Zoro rushed over and cut the thing up. He pointed his sword at Rumble's neck.

"Ky isn't pulling any weapons on you," Zoro said. He pulled back his sword. "This is a fight between two _men_. Be a man and face him like one."

Rumble scoffed. "He's no man. He's a machine!"

"Well, this _machine_ knows right from wrong," Ky said before punching Rumble in the face. He kept on punching him. "I know it's not right to force someone into being a cyborg just because you find it funny. I know it's not right to force those people into being slaves. I know it's not right to try and kill someone who hasn't done anything to you. And I know you are now defeated. We have won, Rumble."

Ky gave Rumble one more punch. It knocked the man out cold. Ky stumbled back, huffing and puffing before rushing over to Cressida. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine," Cressida clung to his neck.

"We need to get going," Zoro said when he heard thundering footsteps coming towards the room.

"Right," Ky nodded. He picked Cressida up. Zoro then cut a hole in the wall and they escaped through it.

Ky passed Cressida over to Zoro then transformed into his flying self. He flew the two of them back to the house. They busted inside to Franky greeting them. "Hey! You all made it! Super!"

"Are the repairs done yet?" Zoro asked while Ky pull out and set Cressida in her spare chair. "Ky might have defeated Rumble, but his army is still in tact. They'll come after us as soon as they realize Ky and Cressida have escaped."

"I'm almost done," Franky reported. "With the three of us working together now it shouldn't take too much longer."

"Great," Cressida said, she took over the keyboard controls while Franky and Ky connected wires, placed panels in the right places and other stuff.

"They're coming!" Ky said when his censors started beeping.

"Zoro! You've got to by us some time!" Franky shouted.

"Right! Just hurry!" Zoro shouted back as he headed outside. "I don't know for how long I'll be able to hold off an entire army!"

Zoro ran back outside and slashed down as many enemies as he could while the others worked as fast as they could to get the tower up and running. After several more intense moments of rushed work and fighting, the beacon began to hum. Cressida smiled. "That's it! The shard is now all we need! Ky!"

"Yes, ma'am," Ky popped his chest and pulled out the shard. He slid it into place. The shard began to glow.

"One last thing and we're done," Cressida pulled a small square disk out of her pocket.

"What's that?" Franky asked.

"A highly secret piece of the puzzle," Cressida said as she laid the disk into it correct place. Franky blinded in confusion when he noticed that the shard was pulling some kind of power out of the disk. He didn't have time to ask what was going on as the house began to open and change its shape into a satellite disk. The house lit up as the wave from the beacon began to flow through the air. Cressida's eyes lit up. "It's working! The chips are malfunctioning!"

"Attention, citizens of the Dome of Cyborgs, my fellow Cyborgs, you are no longer slaves to Rumble," Ky spoke when he lifted up a microphone. "Cressida and I have destroyed the chips controlling you! You are now FREE! Rumble has been defeated!"

"And that's it?" Franky asked.

"Yes," Cressida nodded as she started outside. Once outside, Franky noticed that Rumble's army had turned on each other. They were divided between those who served Rumble loyally and those who wanted freedom.

"I'm glad that's over," Zoro said, putting up his swords. "Now we can get the heck out of here."

"We can't thank you enough," Ky said as he put his arm around Cressida's shoulders. They all headed back inside.

"But there's something I don't understand," Franky said. He paused when he saw the console that the shard was in was sizzling and smoking. "Is it supposed to do that?"

"Yes," Cressida said as Ky removed the shard from the console. "We never told you this because we couldn't risk it, but this shard uses power from other things. This little disk actually held what we needed to put the control chips out of power, but I could never make one big enough to cover this entire area to make sure all of the control chips got destroyed. It took several tests with this shard to figure out how it actually worked and that's it's almost completely indestructible. But we did it. We're all finally free of Rumble. Now that his slaves have been taken away he can no longer control us. People will know revolt against him."

"Hold on a second," Franky said. "If that thing can pull power from another source, doesn't that mean it can pull power from _any_ source?"

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked.

"For an example," Franky said then swallowed before continuing. "Let's say there's this girl, who's magical, can this shard pull her magic from her and be used by someone else's will?"

"Um," Cressida tapped her chin in thought. "Well, I don't know anything about magic, but theoretically, yes. I suppose that could happen as long as the person who's using the shard has the right equipment or conduit for the magic to flow through. Why?"

Franky looked over at Zoro. The swordsman stared at his cyborg companion for a few seconds before he finally realized what Franky was getting at. "Neo _was_ the target after all."

"Kiba did warn us about other magic users," Franky replied. He looked down at the monkey. The monkey jumped up and grabbed the shard out of Ky's hands. Both Zoro and Franky charged at the monkey. "Hey! Don't you da-"

They only got a couple steps before the current world they were in disappeared.

…

 **Author's Notes: I'd really like to know how I keep hitting cliffhangers. -_-' Anyways…just incase it wasn't clear, here's how long everyone was away from Neo:**

 **Chopper-five days**

 **Sanji-two weeks**

 **Shachi and Luffy-two and a half weeks**

 **Law and Nami-one month**

 **Bepo, Brook, Usopp-one month and two days**

 **Penguin and Robin-one month and one week**

 **Zoro and Franky-one month and two weeks**

 **Apple Bloom: Yeah, now they're all back. ^_^**

 **sarge1130: Kinda a bummer that he can't take away pain. We all know he'd do it for Neo.**

 **Bonney: HI! Welcome to the story. By the time you get to this chapter you'll probably notice that 'No' Bonney won't be making an appearance in it.**


	28. Pendulum's Plan P1

Pendulum's Plan

Part One

"Hey! Don't you dare!" Franky and Zoro blinked. They were no longer on the Dome of Cyborg Slaves.

"Hey! Franky! Zoro! You made it!" Luffy waved to them.

Just then Law and Neo came walking out of the house. Franky's eyes widened. He shouted to them. "No! Get Neo out of here!"

"Huh?" Nami asked. "Why? What's t-"

"Law!" Neo's scream caused everyone to turn to her. She was once again wrapped up in that strange orb that had attacked them before. The orb jerked her away and had her flying towards a large, circle mirror that didn't reflect anything. She summoned her earth crystals. Using the vines to wrap around whatever she could grab and pushed some against the mirror, trying to keep herself from being taken.

"Those are the shards we picked up?!" Nami gasped. "How'd they get so big?!"

"Neo!" Law shouted and unsheathed his sword. They all ran over to her as the orb shot out parts of itself and sliced up her vines. It then pushed her against the mirror. It released her, leaving her attached to the mirror. The mirror began to absorb her into it. Once inside she summoned all her crystals and attacked the mirror with all she had. It did no good. She didn't even singe it.

When he got close enough, Law sliced his sword over the mirror, but nothing happened. There were no slice marks on it at all. The others tried their own attacks. Nothing. Neo pounded on the mirror. "Law!"

"Room! Shambles!" Law twisted his hand, but nothing happened. "Shambles! Shambles!"

Luffy jumped into the air, using his Haki and punched the mirror repeatedly. He gasped when he wasn't even able to put a crack in it. "What the heck is that thing made of?"

"Crap! Cressida said this thing was next to indestructible!" Franky said.

"Who's Cressida?" Chopper asked.

"A girl we met. She preformed tests on the piece of shard she had. It uses power, and possibly magic, from other sources. Pendulum didn't keep Neo here by accident. He was after _her_ all along," Franky quickly summoned up.

"But why?" Shachi asked. "What does he want with her?"

"Law! Get me out of here!" Neo cried as she continued pounded on it with her fists.

"I will! Just hold on!" Law placed his free hand on the mirror. She placed her hands over his on her side. Before anything else could be said or done the mirror lifted into the air and flew over to the other building in the dome. They all ran towards the tower. "Neo!"

"Law!" Neo panic when the two pinchers began to move towards the mirror. They pinched the mirror, holding it in place. The building started to glow yellow.

"What's happening?!" Sanji asked. The glow started at the bottom of the building and when it reached the mirror Neo's wrists and ankles were bound by it, making her body into an x. She screamed out in pain when the glow engulfed her entire body. Her crystals formed, but not from her. The glow was forcing her to use her magic.

"Curse that man!" Elian hissed.

"What is he up to?" Velocity asked. Celeste shivered and dove into Sanji's shirt. "What's the point of all this?"

When Pendulum's laughter rang throughout the dome, Velocity and Elian dove for cover to hide from the man. The pirates stopped running when he appeared between them and Neo.

"Stop this!" Nami shouted. "She's pregnant!"

"She's what?!" Zoro and Franky asked.

"Is there a point to that?" Pendulum asked nonchalantly

"You _knew_ she was?!" Robin asked with fear in her eyes. Pendulum just grinned.

Law gripped his sword and charged in blindly, with the others following close behind. "Give her back!"

Pendulum waved his hand, freezing all of the pirates in place. He chuckled. "Sorry, pirates, but you won't be able to stop someone who can control time."

Pendulum turned and flew up to the top of the building. He sat on the top of the mirror and began to laugh again in victory. "I've done it! Do you see me, _Empress Futur_ a? I have beaten you! And there's _nothing_ you can do to stop me now!"

Elian and Velocity exchanged looks and nodded. They flew out from their hiding spots. Their bodies grew to a human's size. They spread their magic over the pirates, freeing them from being frozen in time. The pirates bodies all relaxed as they started to over come the strange sensation of being frozen in time.

"What just happened?" Nami asked.

"I feel so strange," Robin reported.

"That was a very strange sensation," Brook said.

"Captain, what happened?" Bepo asked while rubbing his head.

"Anyone else have the desire to fiddle with clocks?" Usopp asked.

"We don't have time to explain what happened," Elian said.

"Ack!" Usopp shouted and fell back onto his butt. "What the heck?! How are you so tall now?!"

"We don't have time to explain that either!" Velocity shouted. "But we _are_ on your side!"

"Well, well, well, Time Guardians Velocity and Elian," Pendulum looked down on them. "I'm a bit surprised to see you here. But it's too late. No matter what precautions your ruler has put in place, they won't work. I already have the girl. My plan is already in the works. Just take a look at your friends there."

"Give Neo back to me!" Law demanded. He started to head towards Pendulum again, but Elian jumped in front of him. Law glared. "Get out of my way!"

"Listen to me! You can't go after him alone! He just froze you and your people in time!" Elian said.

"I told you to get out of m-"

"Captain!" Penguin suddenly shouted. When Law turned back to his subordinate his eyes widened. Penguin, Usopp and Nami's feet were slowly disappearing.

"What's happening to them?!" Luffy demanded.

"Crap! That's what he's doing?!" Velocity cursed.

"What _is_ he doing?" Nami shouted. "I don't want to disappear!"

"He's altering the time line!" Velocity replied. "If we don't stop him quickly we all could disappear forever!"

"And he needs Neo to do that?" Robin asked.

"That's not all he's doing," Velocity nodded. She held up her hand. A small glowing ball appeared in it. In the ball they could see their world and the time domes. They could see their homes and people they know running around in a panic as the ground below them shifted and changed. Everything was changing, even on the time domes. Neo's crystals were, somehow, physically changing the world. They were causing storms and reshaping the world itself. "Pendulum has always been known as sadistic and full of himself, but who knew _this_ was his plan."

"What's going on?!" Zoro demanded. "Spill it already! We don't have time for dramatics!"

"Pendulum is using Neo to reshape the world and the time line into his image. That's why some of your friends are disappearing. He's changing the timeline," Elian said. He looked right into Law's eyes. "I know you want to save her, but you can't do that when he can freeze you in place and time."

"I have to save her! I won't abandon her to him!" Law shouted.

"I know you won't! We will help you! We're the only ones who can!" Velocity said as she joined her brother's side. "We might not be as strong as Pendulum but we _can_ keep you unfrozen! But you have to trust us!"

"Fine," Law narrowed his eyebrows at them.

"What do we do?" Shachi asked.

"We have to either destroy that tower or kill Pendulum," Elian said.

"Sorry, but I won't give you the chance to stop me," Pendulum said. A strange slit opened up in the air and several monkeys, just like the ones that followed them around, dropped down. Ten of them grew to the size of gorillas while four of them grew to be almost the size of the house leaving around a hundred regular size ones.

"What the heck?!" Usopp shouted.

"Well, that's unexpected," Brook mumbled, pulling out his sword.

"Divide up into three teams!" Velocity ordered. "One team needs to fight these monkeys, the second team tries to destroy the tower while the third team deals with Pendulum!"

"Since there's only two of us, there can only be two of you who can attack Pendulum. We won't be able to keep up with more than that," Elian added.

"Luffy and Law are the two strongest we have," Franky says.

"Yes! You ready?" Luffy punched his hand into his fist before looking at Law. Law nodded. "Then lets get her back! The rest of you, help the Heart Pirates!"

"You got it, Captain!" The Straw Hats nodded.

"We better act fast. We don't have much time," Franky said, noticing more of Penguin, Usopp and Nami's bodies fading away. "At this rate we're all gonna disappear."

"Then why are we still talking?" Zoro asked before place his sword in his mouth.

"Zoro, Sanji and Franky," Robin said while she formed several hands and smacked down some of the smaller monkeys, though the attack didn't do any damage to them. "You three should be strong enough to take the tower. The rest of us will handle the monkeys."

"Sounds good to me," Sanji said, standing ready.

"Help them," Law ordered his crew. They nodded. While Bepo and Shachi started attacking the monkeys, Penguin paused to look at his captain. "I promised her I wouldn't let you do anything stupid. This fight is _mine_. I _will_ get her back. Help the others."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Penguin nodded before turning to help the others.

"All right then," Nami twirled her staff. "I really don't feel like disappearing from the world. So let's put an end to this. NOW!"

The 'Destroy The Monkeys' team pulled out their respective weapons and began to attack their adversaries while the 'Tower Team' headed for the tower, knocking over as many monkeys as they could in the process. Law and Luffy followed Elian and Velocity.

"Very well then," Pendulum spoke casually. He flew off the mirror and landed in front of the team pursuing him. "But this is futile. I've already seen the future. I win."

"You only see what you want to see!" Elian spat back. "You know that the future has many possibilities and is never set in stone until it has happened!"

"No," Pendulum shook his head. "I have seen the future and it is very clear that I will win this battle."

"You took my love from me. You put her and our child in danger. The only thing in _your_ future is _death_ ," Law hissed with venom as he tightened his hold on the hilt of his sword. "Straw Hat…"

"Don't worry. I get it," Luffy cracked his knuckles. "I'll only help take him down. What happens after that…I'll leave up to you."


	29. Pendulum's Plan P2

Pendulum's Plan

Part Two

"Geez," Nami huffed. She formed a storm cloud and zapped a small group of smaller monkeys. "What are these things made of?"

"Their like sea prism stone. Impossible to break," Usopp shouted as he fired at multiple gorilla size enemies. One of the smaller monkeys dashed around until it could clamp its mechanical teeth on Usopp's arm. He screamed and shook it off then fired at it. "Stupid machine! You are totally give me a phobia over monkeys!"

"We won't be able to keep this up for long if we can't find their weakness," Chopper said. He picked up a couple with his horns and rammed them into a tree. They dropped to the ground as he stepped back from them. He managed to puncher their bodies, but they still stood back up. "I'm going to have to use my monster form."

"Are you sure about that?" Nami asked. Brook was behind her. He poked his sword at several monkeys, making a monkey shish kabob on it.

"We're not making much progress here," Chopper said. He looked at the Heart Pirates. They were going after the largest of the monkeys with Robin helping them with her giant hands. "We can't keep this up for long. We've already been going at this for several minutes."

"If you go into your monster form and we don't stop them then we're down a fighter!" Usopp pointed out, firing several more shots.

"And if we don't do something soon you are going to disappear forever!" Chopper pointed out.

Usopp looked down at his body. Half of it was missing. He screeched and wailed around. "No! Someone do something! I don't want to disappear!"

"That's it! I'm going for it!" Chopper shouted. He pulled out his rumble balls and transformed.

Bepo jumped put to kick his target. The monkey moved faster than him and caught him. "Hey! Let go!"

"Bepo!" Shachi and Penguin cried.

Chopper roared and whacked the monkey that was holding Bepo. The machine cracked and released its captive. Bepo dropped to the ground. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Chopper said as he smashed his target again. This time it cracked completely open and fell to the ground, immobile.

"Hey, looks like you've got enough strength to stop them," Shachi noted.

"Maybe…Or we could just be wearing them down. Either way I only have a few minutes in this form," Chopper reported. "I won't be able to stop all of them."

"Just take out the four largest ones," Penguin said as he punched a smaller monkey. "We'll be able to take the rest out."

"Okay," Chopper nodded then went ahead with his assault on the last three.

…

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! OUCH!" Sanji jumped around while holding his leg. "What the heck is with this place having so many things that are unbreakable?!"

Zoro didn't reply as he tried his swords again. He stepped back and looked up to the top of it. Without a word he jumped up to the top. He caught a quick glance at Neo screaming in pain before trying to slice the pinchers. He got the same results as they did at the base of the tower. He dropped back down to the ground.

"Hm," Franky rubbed his chin as he stared at the base of the tower. He noticed that it looked like the tower went under the ground. "I wonder what's under this thing."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Zoro asked.

"The inner workings of the dome," Celeste reported as she popped out of Sanji's shirt. "Vines no attack anymore! Vines no attack!"

"What do you mean?" Franky asked.

"That's right! I forgot all about them!" Sanji shouted. "Neo told me that this place was protected by mechanical vines and animals!"

"So?" Zoro asked.

"So there has to be a reason to why they're not attack now," Sanji looked around. He looked down at Celeste. "Celeste, did Pendulum build this tower directly into the inner workings of this dome?"

"Yes," Celeste nodded. "Tower and dome are now one."

"Thought so," Sanji nodded back.

"You going somewhere with this, bro?" Franky asked.

"I hope so," Sanji plucked the little sprite out of his shirt and sat her in the palm of her head. "Listen to me, Celeste. I need you to go into the inner workings of this dome. Get all of your sprite friends to help you. Try to disrupt the flow of power to this tower."

"Right! Cutie can count on me!" Celeste nodded then flew away from them.

"Are you sure about that? Seems like a long shot considering Pendulum is using Neo's magic," Franky said.

"Possibly, but that will hurt her a lot less than what's happening to her now," Sanji looked at his friend. "But there _has_ to be power of some kind going to this tower. If not, then why aren't the defenses for it attacking us now?"

"I guess you have a point," Franky scratched his cheek.

"We can't rely on that," Zoro said. "We still need to try and destroy this thing."

"Let's get back to it then," Sanji nodded as they turned back to the tower and continued their assault on it.

…

Pendulum proved just as hard to beat. Everything Luffy and Law threw at him, he dodged by freezing them in place. Elian and Velocity would immediately unfreeze them, but they all were having trouble making headway on getting close to landing a blow on the time man. Elian growl and brushed some sweat off his brow. "This isn't working."

"Pendulum was always one of the strongest in the empress's army," Velocity said.

"We'll still defeat him," Luffy proclaimed.

Law casted his eager and optimistic friend a glance before looking back at Pendulum. He was starting to have doubts that they would. He couldn't formulate any kind of plan to defeat this guy. Pendulum matched their speed with ease. How _were_ you supposed to defeat someone who could control time? They were in a stalemate with this enemy. They needed something to get Pendulum off his guard.

Suddenly Law had a very bad feeling wash over him. He turned his attention to where Neo was being tortured just as Velocity's voice rang out. "Something's wrong! Neo's magic is fading!"

Law's heart sank low in his chest. Though magic was still visibly radiating from the tower, it was obviously fading. And Neo wasn't screaming anymore. Pendulum also turned his attention when he felt Neo's magic take a dive. "What is she doing?"

Luffy took this opportunity and landed a punch to Pendulum's cheek. The time man went flying several yards and crashed into the dome wall. Luffy charged and landed several more punches onto Pendulum's body.

…

Chopper smashed the last of the large monkeys. His body jerked as he looked over to the tower. "Something's wrong."

"Huh?" Brook looked at the giant beast. "What is it, Chopper?"

"I'm not sure, but…I have a bad feeling about Neo," Chopper replied quietly just before his transformation time was up. He began to drop to the ground. Shachi, being the closest to him, jumped up and grabbed the falling reindeer. "Thanks."

"No problem," Shachi nodded. As they landed, Shachi made sure to land on top of a monkey. The monkey shattered beneath him. He looked around to see that they had destroyed several of the monkeys. He also noticed something else. "Penguin, your body's back to normal."

"Huh?" Penguin looked down at himself. He then got a terrible feeling in his stomach. The stomach seemed to pass from him to Shachi. The two pirates then looked at Bepo. Bepo was staring up at the mirror that held their friend, their little sister. The bear wore a worried expression on his furry face. "No…No…S-She can't be…"

"What's going on? Why did you all stop?" Usopp asked. "Hey, our bodies are back to normal! That's great!"

"They defeated Pendulum?" Nami asked.

"No," Penguin said as his fists trembled. "That's not what's happening."

…

Law's hat fell over his eyes.

Luffy stopped his assault on Pendulum and tangled his limbs around the older man's, making him immobile. "Tragay!"

Law clenched his sword's handle. He turned and walked towards Pendulum.

Pendulum struggled to get out of Luffy's hold. He tried to freeze Law in place, but Velocity or Elian would unfreeze him. "No! This can't happen! I was so close!"

"You've been told before, the future can't be see or predicated," Elian said. He clenched his fists. "You might have planned this down to ever little detail, but you didn't even think about how this would effect her, did you? You never wondered if her body was strong enough to handle the stress of using all her magic to change the _entire_ world _and_ timeline! We _all_ have our limits to what our bodies can handle! And just because she has the ability to reshape the world doesn't mean her body can handle the stress that would come with doing that!"

"But you're too blind by your own desires to see how you effect others," Velocity added, placing a hand on her twin's shoulder. "You were too blind to see the other possibilities of this sick plan of yours."

Nothing else, but Pendulum's desperate cry of not accepting his defeat, was said as Law stalked up to him. He lifted his sword and pierced it right into Pendulum's heart. Luffy jumped back at the last second, avoiding the piercing blade. Law shoved his sword through Pendulum's body until the guard hit the man's chest. He leaned into Pendulum's ear. "If she dies, I _will_ find _some way_ of pulling you back from the dead just so I can mercilessly and inhumanely torture you for the rest of our lives."

Law twisted his sword before pulling it out of Pendulum's bleeding chest. Pendulum's body fell to the ground with a thump.

…

The glow around Neo's wrist and ankles faded. Her body slumped forward and passed through the mirror.

Franky, Zoro and Sanji stopped attacking the tower when they heard the pinchers moving away from the mirror. They looked up to see Neo falling down from it. Sanji wasted no time in jumping up to catch her. As he did, the mirror began to fall as well. He gritted his teeth and got ready to kick it away from them. However, Franky used his Strong Right punch to do it for him.

Sanji turned his attention back to Neo and landed them safely on the ground. Zoro and Franky ran over to them. Zoro put up his swords as Franky questioned about their friend. "How is she?"

With her head laying on his right shoulder, Sanji laid his fingers on her neck. His eyes began to water as he gritted his teeth. "Her…Her pulse is fading."

…

 **Author's Notes: -_-' Um…Okay, who didn't see a cliffhanger coming? That 'should' be the last one. *sigh* Well, get ready for some feelings in the next chapter.**


	30. Life

Life

Law didn't bother sheathing his sword. Instead, he tossed it away from him. He ran to her and dropped to his knees. Sanji passed her over to him, stood up and took a few steps back. He could feel it. He didn't have to check her pulse. He could feel her life slipping away from her body, from him. "Neo, open your eyes! Come on! Wake up!

He gritted his teeth when she didn't move. "I _order_ you to open your eyes! Do you hear me?! I _order_ you to do it!"

Still, she didn't.

Law cupped her face. Tears stung his eyes as he pleaded with her. "Please... Neo, please, open your eyes..."

The rest of the crews ran over to them as well. Nami was the first to speak. "Why won't she wake up?"

"It was too much for her body to handle," Velocity replied softly. "Pendulum never took that into account. Having _that_ much strain on your body, even for a magical creature…It was inevitable that this would be the outcome."

"Wait! She still has her solar crystal, right?" Usopp asked. "That'll heal her! Right?"

"No," Penguin whispered. He dropped to this hands and knees, tears pouring from his eyes. He clenched the lifeless grass in his hands. "Her solar crystal would have appeared already. She's…She's really going to…"

Shachi didn't say anything as he kneeled down to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. Bepo stood near by and closed his eyes, trying to keep his own tears at bay.

"No! We can't just let that happen!" Usopp shouted. "Law! Chopper! You two are doctors! You have to save her!"

"Even if I could move, there's nothing that can be done for her," Chopper replied, tears streaked down his face. Robin's eyes shimmered with tears as she held the immobile doctor in her arms. "All that magic, it comes from within. That's where all the damage has been done. Her body has just burned out from the overwhelming use of her magic."

"But we can't just…" Usopp turned to Velocity and Elian. "You're magical! Can't _you_ do something for her?"

Velocity and Elian hung their heads. Brook placed a hand on the sniper's shoulder. When Usopp looked at him, Brook shook his head. "Its time to say goodbye to her, my friend."

Usopp clenched his eyes tight.

"Neo," Law whispered. He pressed his forehead to hers. "Please…you can't leave me like this."

Everyone's chests tightened. Their eyes closed. Some cried openly. Some held back their tears, though they struggled to do so.

"Why is Traguy glowing?" Luffy's voice suddenly asked out of the sadness. There was a collective 'Huh?' as everyone opened their eyes. It was true. Law's body was glowing.

"What's happening to him?" Brook questioned.

"It's not possible," Elian mumbled.

"What's not?" Nami asked.

"It's her solar crystal," Velocity replied. Her eyes were zeroed in on something, but it wasn't Law's body. Everyone looked at her then at Neo. As they stared at their fallen friend, they began to see something slowly appearing. It was Neo's solar crystal. When it finally appeared clearly then noticed the glow from Law was going into the crystal then passing it to Neo. "We can feel it. Her helpmate is somehow feeding her crystal his life energy."

"You mean, Neo is taking some of Law's life force to live?" Robin asked.

"No, we literally mean it's _him_ doing it," Elian shook his head. "But how is that possible? If she's dying then her crystals would be dying as well. There's no way this could be happening. If he had magic then, yes, this would make sense. Wait…Did she at some point engulf you in her magic?"

"Yes," Law nodded. "That's how I learned about her past."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Zoro asked.

"Just a hunch," Elian said. He rubbed his chin in thought. "But it might be possible that Neo stored some of her solar magic within his body when she merged with him like that. And, over time, the magic must have merged with his life force."

"It's possible that Neo's subconscious sensed something like this would happen and took precautions to protect her," Velocity added.

"Come to think of it," Shachi said. "The captain did once mention that, in the vision Neo showed him of her past, it seemed like the crystals took on a will of their own to protect her when those villagers tried to harm her."

Nothing else was said after that. Nothing else could or would be said. They all were to anxious to see if this was going to heal her enough for her to wake up again.

Suddenly, Neo took a noticeable breath. Law pulled away from her and looked at her when she did. He could visibly see her breathing. He cupped her face again and brushed his thumb over her skin. "Neo?"

Everyone held their breath. It was still several minutes later before Neo's eyelids cracked opened. Everyone's sad tears turned to happy ones. "Neo…Y-You're awake."

Neo's eyes guided over to Law's. She went to reach for him, but found couldn't. "Law…I-I can't move. Why can't I move?"

"Do you not remember?" Law asked softly.

Neo's eyes filled with questions as she tried to recall what happened to her. The questions in her eyes was suddenly replaced with fear. Law flinched at the two words that left her lips. "Our baby…"

Everyone stiffened. They all knew that if Neo's body took so much damaged, to the point that she couldn't move, there was no way the baby could have survived. Law swallowed the lump in his throat. He brushed her bangs with his finger tips before placing his hand on her cheek and answering her. "Don't think about that right now. You just rest."

A tear dripped out of her eye and Law brushed it away. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Elian moving towards them. The man kneeled down and reached for Neo's stomach. With lightning fast reflex, Law grabbed his wrist. "Don't touch her!"

"Please, I intend no harm," Elian looked directly into Law's eyes. "I only wish to check on the baby. I can do that. If you will let me."

"Law," Law slowly pulled his eyes back to hers. "I-It's okay. He won't hurt me."

Law released Elian's wrist. He kept his eyes on Neo's as Elian placed his hand on her stomach. Elian's eyes and hand began to glow. There were several more minutes of intense waiting. Eventually, Elian stopped glowing and let out a huge sigh of relief. "The baby's fine. My protection spell worked."

Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief too. Neo did as well, but then pulled her eyes over to him. "Protection spell?"

"I guess it's confession time," Elian said with a slightly guilty look on his face as he looked at her. "Remember the night you woke up and I was on your stomach? I told you that I couldn't sleep so I was doing magic exercises? Truth is…I was putting a protection spell on your baby. It was really bothering me that Pendulum took you back to the past like he did. I knew that he was up to something. And that something had to do with you. Knowing that and the fact that you're expecting…I couldn't just sit back and do nothing."

"Thank you," Elian turned his eyes to Law when the pirate captain spoke to him.

"You're very welcome. I'm just glad it worked," Elian nodded.

"Neo!" The Heart Pirates cried as they moved closer to her and their captain. Elian stood up and rejoined his sister's side.

"We were so worried about you," Shachi said with a smiled and tears.

"How are you feeling?" Bepo asked.

"Tired, but okay," Neo smiled tiredly at them. Her eyes then landed on Penguin. "Penguin?"

He shook his head then placed his hand on hers. "I'm okay. I was just really scared that you were…"

"I know," Neo smiled at him through her tears. She wished she could hug her friends and Law. She turned her eyes back to her husband. "Sorry, I worried you."

Law didn't reply as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"So how about you tell us now who you two really are," Usopp said. Once again everyone's attention turned to Velocity and Elian.

"Confession time again," Velocity said. "We're actually Time Guardians who serve under Empress Futura. She posted us here over five hundred years ago before the Time Spheres stopped working. We disguised ourselves as Time Sprites in hope to figure out what Pendulum was up to."

"Five hundred years ago?" Sanji blinked at them. "How old are you two?"

"A thousand and five hundred years old," Elian and Velocity replied at the same time.

"What?!" Everyone, but Robin, Neo and Law shouted.

"Time passes differently here than on your world. And we age a lot slower than humans so that's why we look so young," Elian replied. "I'm sure some of you have already heard some of this, but Pendulum has been fighting with Empress Futura for centuries for control over the Time Stream. When she realized Pendulum was up to something, she posted a couple of her elite guards on each Time Dome."

Velocity added. "During one of Empress Futura and Pendulum's battles, Empress Futura shattered that mirror that he wanted you all to gather for him. She also damaged the Time Spheres, after our posting, so he wouldn't be able to travel the Time Domes. Apparently all her efforts weren't enough considering Pendulum still was able to travel between the domes and learned the locations of the mirror shards somehow."

"But why did he choose us?" Shachi asked.

"I assume mostly because of the Princess. He did say he was watching you all for a long time. And, since the Princess has all the abilities over the four elements, it was her magic he needed to reshape your world just like he tried to do," Elian replied. "But I also assume that he didn't want to take the chance of getting caught by one of us. He's sadistic too. He enjoys making other suffer. He got a kick out of separating you all and taking the Princess back to the past to meet with Trafalgar as a child. I'm sorry. I really wish I could give you more clearer answers, but we don't really know everything. We have no idea what drove Pendulum to do the things he did."

"It doesn't matter," Everyone turned their attention to Law when he spoke. He had his eyes locked with Neo's. "We have her back. She's safe. And we're together again. That's what matters here."

Neo gave him a tired smile.

"He's right," Chopper smiled with happy tears. "And, right now, she needs to rest."

Penguin lift up Neo's hand, that he was still holding, and placed it over her stomach. Law then gently lifted her into his arms and stood up. They all headed inside.

"By the way," Brook asked as they made their way inside. "How was it possible that that mirror became so huge?"

"Well, it is a magic mirror," Velocity replied. "The user can change its shape, even if its in pieces."

"I guess that makes sense," Chopper said. Robin sat down and place the immobile reindeer on the couch beside her.

Law didn't cast anyone another glance as he immediately took Neo up to her current room while the others stayed downstairs to give them space. Her eyes never left his face as he gently laid her down. He laid down beside her and propped up on his elbow. He wouldn't look at her in the eyes. Her solar crystal continued to radiate its glow over her body. "Law?"

"Hm?" He still didn't look at her.

"Law, please, talk to me." He still refused to raise his eyes to hers. "You're only hurting yourself by keeping it in."

Tears were glistening in his eyes when he finally looked at her. He placed a trembling hand on her stomach. He didn't even try to stop them when his tears leaked over his eyelids and down his cheeks. "I was so scared. I thought…I thought that I had really lost you... both of you. I'm sorry. I should have protect you better. I should have paid closer attention to you and noticed your pregnancy signs. I'm so sorry. I failed you. I should have done better."

"Law, nothing that happened is your fault. You're only human. You're not perfect and I don't expect you to be," Neo's eyes filled with her own tears. She struggled to lifted her hand and placed it over his. "I'm still here. We _both_ are. We're safe now. It's over."

Law nodded and smiled lightly as he brushed his thumb over her stomach. "Kiss me."

He leaned down and place his lips lightly against hers. He could feel how weak she was just by the lightest touch. Not wanting to waste what little energy she just got back from her crystal, he broke the kiss after only a few seconds. He pressed his forehead to hers. "I'll give you a more proper kiss when you're stronger. Right now, you need to sleep."

"Only if you sleep too," Neo said. "I don't want you staying up all night watching me, even though you'll do it anyway after I fall asleep."

Law chuckled lightly. She was right. He wouldn't be able to sleep knowing what she had just went through and how weak she was. He'll watch her and their baby like a hawk. Still, he did as she wanted. Keeping his hand on her stomach, he laid down beside her and pressed his forehead to her temple. Both closed their eyes, breathing in each others scents.

…

 **Author's Note: *tears* Oh that was so emotional! *tears* *sniffles and sigh* Anyways…seems like this site is having issues again with letting us read our reviews. So if anyone has a question about something I can't answer it until that gets fixed. I hope it won't be too long. It's all ready been a few days though. :/ I've turned my email alert back on so I can get them that way now...or I should. Other's have said they got them that way.  
**


	31. Going Back

Going Back

Neo smiled when Law tilted her chin and stole yet another kiss from her. He made good on his promise to give her a proper kiss when she was stronger, but still he held back. She wasn't back up to a hundred percent yet. It took a whole week before she could fully move on her own again. But she tired easily with only a few steps. Law ended up carrying her everywhere. He wanted her to reserve her strength until she was closer to behind back to her full strength.

Not wanting anyone, especially the loud Straw Hats, to drain the strength she did get back in the first week, Law kept her in their room. He only allowed short visits from them. Sanji was the one, of the Straw Hats, who made the most trips up to the room. The cook made sure to make her meals that would help her regain her strength while keeping her and the baby healthy. The Heart Pirates were allow to come in more because they were a lot calmer than the Straw Hats. It wasn't until the first half of the second week that Law finally took her downstairs to spend time with everyone.

Now, exactly two weeks after they almost lost her, Neo was sitting outside. Law had his arms firmly around her. The rest of their group, with the help of the Time Spirits, that finally came out of hiding, passed their days dismantling the tower that Pendulum had put up. Even though they knew for sure that the man was dead, it made them all nervous that it was still around. Velocity and Elian had put Pendulum in a magic coffin and moved him, and his monkeys, as far away from Neo as they could.

The pirates and the sprites cheered when Franky unbolted the last piece of the tower. Neo sighed as she leaned her head against Law. "It's finally down."

"Good," Law nodded. His hand once again finding its way to the tiny baby bump that now graced his love's stomach. Neo's hand automatically went on top of his. She wondered when the tiny bump had snuck upon her. One day it wasn't there, then next it was.

The two lovers were about to lean in for another kiss, but they were stopped when the Time Sphere began to glow and hover in place. They stood up just before a bright flash of light appeared followed by a tall woman, dressed in white and purple robes. Her hair was black and just as long as her robes. Her ears were pointy and several inches long. She swiped her hand over her robes like she was brushing off dirt. "Stupid Time Spheres! Pain in the butt! I didn't damage them that bad!"

The woman huffed then looked up at Law and Neo. "Goodness! You're an Elemental Princess!"

Law stepped in front of Neo and unsheathed his nodachi. The woman gasped but didn't show any real concern over Law's weapon. "Dear me, I did it again."

"Empress!" Velocity and Elian shouted as they flew over. The crews and the sprites followed. Velocity and Elian immediately dropped to one knee.

"My dear guardians!" Empress Futura greeted them with a bright, warm smile. "I am glad to see you are doing well!"

"Yes, milady, we are well," Elian replied. "We are glad to see you are well too."

"I'm great now that Pendulum's threat has been taken care of," Empress Futura nodded at them then turned back to Law and Neo. "My apologizes. I didn't mean to alarm you. I was just surprised to see royalty from the Elemental bloodline. It's been so long since I've met one of you."

"You've met my people?" Neo asked, placing a hand on Law's arm to calm him down. He lowered his sword but didn't put it away.

"It's been centuries, but yes, young princess," Empress Futura nodded with a smile. She scanned her eyes over the gathering crowd. Her eyes rose to the farthest side of the Time Dome. She raised her hand. With a little wiggle of her finger, one of the monkeys flew over to her. With another little wiggle the monkey's body split in half revealing a substance just like the orb that brought them all to the Time Stream. "Hm…That explains that."

"What is it, Empress?" Velocity asked.

"This is how Pendulum was able to travel to the Time Domes despite the Time Spheres being broken," Empress Futura showed them the split monkey.

"That looks familiar," Brook said.

"What is it?" Luffy asked.

"Time Spheres," Empress Futura replied. "Or what's left of them. When a Time Sphere is about to quit working, it gets replaced with a fresh one. Their like batteries. I noticed some of them had been taken from their storage room, but never imagined Pendulum would use them to make his own beacons. He infused them with his magic to disguise the Time Sphere's pulse. It's very faint right now without Pendulum's magic, but it is there. Such a pain that man has been. I apologize for what he has put you all through, especially you, young princess. And I apologize for not being able to come to your aid. I damaged the Time Sphere more than I had intended and stranded myself as well as everyone else on the Time Domes. I have a lot of apologize to do to my subjects."

The Empress huffed and sent the monkey back with the others. "All well. What's done is done. No point stewing about it. I can send you all home now, if you are ready."

"Finally we can get back to the Sunny," Franky smiled. "I just hope no one has bothered her."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'll send you back to the exact time that you all were brought here. It will be like no time has passed since you were taken," Empress Futura said.

"NO!" Celeste cried, clinging to Sanji's cheek with rivers of tears flowing from her eyes.

"Sorry, Celeste, but we don't belong in this place," Sanji said as he pressed his finger to the little sprite's back. He plucked her off and sat her in his hand. "We'll meet again."

"No go!" Celeste bawled more while she grabbed onto Sanji's finger. "No go! My cutie! No leave!"

"I've never seen a Time Sprite so bonded with a human before," Empress Futura said while rubbing her chin. "They're usually so dedicated to their jobs of maintaining Time Domes."

"Empress?" Velocity asked.

"Very well," Empress Futura nodded. "If it is all right with them, you may go with them."

"I go?! I go?!" Celeste asked.

"So how about it, Captain?" Sanji chuckled.

"It's fine with me," Luffy smiled brightly.

"Looks like we have another crew member," Nami said. Robin smiled and nodded.

"Well, if that's done, can we leave now?" Zoro asked.

"It will be nice to finally return," Brook said.

"Are you all ready?" Empress Futura asked.

"We're going to miss you!" Velocity said as she hugged Neo.

"Thank you, for everything you have done," Neo smiled at the twins. "You kept me distracted while my family was away from me."

"If you don't mind," Elian said. "We'd like to come see you some time after your baby is born. We've grown kinda fond of you all."

Neo looked to Law. He nodded. "That would be fine."

"How will you find us?" Neo asked.

"Don't worry about that. It'll be easy. We'll give you plenty of time to rest and bond with your child," Velocity said as she tapped her chin. "How about we come find you when your baby is about six months old?"

"Great! We can meet up with you too!" Luffy grinned. Law sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Neo giggled.

"How will we find them?" Usopp asked. "The world is rather big. And who knows where we'll be by that time?"

"Don't worry about it," Velocity winked. "We'll pick a place then guide you there."

"Sounds like a plan then," Franky nodded.

"Well, if there's nothing else, I'm ready when you all are," Empress Futura said.

"Will it harm our baby?" Neo asked. She placed one hand on her stomach and the other in Law's comforting grip.

"No, young princess," Empress Futura gave her a warm, motherly smile. "This will not harm your baby. However, despite sending you back to the exact time you were taken, you will remain three months along. Manipulating a body has been a forbidden practice for many, many centuries. And I'm no exception to that law. You will not believe how many people were using that ability to try and escape their time of death. Ugh! It was such a mess."

With that the Time Empress waved her hand over the group of pirates. A bright flash of light temporarily blinded them before they realized they were back on Purlieu. Everyone took in their surroundings. Usopp was the first to speak. "Wow. It kinda feels like it was nothing but a whacked out dream."

The crews just stood there. They were taking everything in. Nami soon spoke up. "Neo, if you're feeling up to it, we'd like to go shopping with you before we have to part ways. Are you all going to be here for a while longer?"

"For a few more days," Neo replied. "And I'd like that."

"We'll see you later then," Nami said as she waved. The Straw Hats said their goodbyes and headed off.

"Guess we should be heading back as well," Shachi said, grabbing Neo's sandals and Law's jacket off the ground.

"Are you two going to go back to your room or back to the sub?" Bepo asked. "And what about the rest of the crew? Are you going to tell them now?"

Neo looked at the white bear before her eyes guided up to Law's. He patiently waited for her answer. "As much as I'd like to be home, I don't want to disrupt the crew's vacation. They were so excited about it. Let them have their fun. We can tell them about everything when we're all back on the sub."

Law nodded in agreement before sweeping her into his arms. The three crew mates followed after them. Even though they were back in their own time and world and knew Pendulum was finished, they were still on edge a bit and wanted to make sure their captain and their little sister got safely back to their room. When Law finally sat her back on her feet, her eyes went to Penguin. He was emitting a strange silence and had his eyes down to the ground. Neo walked over to him and took his hands in hers. "Penguin, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Penguin nodded.

"Penguin," Neo squeezed his hands.

He sighed and returned the squeeze. He smiled at her. "Really, Neo, I'm fine. I guess I just haven't completely processed the fact that you're really having a baby. I'll be fine though."

"I guess with everything that's happen it all does seem a bit surreal," Neo said. She then leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Why don't you all get some rest? Things will be clearer in the morning."

"You're right," Penguin nodded. He gave Neo a kiss on the cheek before heading for the door. Neo said her goodnights and kissed Bepo and Shachi before the three finally left the room.

…

Neo flared out her hair with the back of her hands. As her hair fell back into place, she stared at herself in the mirror. She was wearing Law's shirt once again. She placed her hand on her baby bump as she shut the light off and exited the bathroom. Law was already laying in bed. He was on his back with his hands behind his head and his right leg slightly bent up. Only one lamp beside the bed was on.

She walked over to the bed. She momentarily watched him with a light smile before climbing onto the bed. She straddled over his hips while leaning down to placing a couple kisses on his bare tattooed chest. "Mmm…Don't start something you don't plan on finishing."

Neo chuckled before shifting up and giving him a deep kiss. She broke the kiss and laid down, half on him and half on the bed. She sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. "Hm, I left my dress back on the Time Dome."

"We can get you another one," Law said just before a gift bag popped into the room and landed on his legs. The two exchanged looks before sitting up. He grabbed the bag and pulled out her dress. "It's your dress."

"Velocity and Elian must have realized I left it there. They cleaned it as well," Neo said as Law handed it to her.

"There's something else in here," Law mumbled as he took the remaining items out. One was card and the other was a rounded, slightly heavy, colorful object similar looking to the Time Dome. He handed her the rounded object before opening the card. She leaned over and read it with him.

 _Princess Neo and Trafalgar Law,_

 _While we cannot reveal the possibilities of your future, we can tell you that you two will make great parents ;) Just keep doing what you do and keep on loving each other._

 _P.S. We return your dress along with a present for your baby._

 _See you soon!_

 _Velocity and Elian_

"Hm," Neo hummed before turning her attention back to the object in her hand. She noticed a small button on one side and pressed it. The top of the dome started to glow. Stars and a moon began to dance over its glossy dome as a sweet musical lullaby played. Law placed the bag on the floor before taking Neo once again in his arms and leaning back against the pillows. "This is really happening, isn't it? We're really having a baby."

"We are," Law kissed into her hair.

"And we'll be okay," Neo tilted her eyes up to him.

"Of course we will, love," He stroked her cheek affectionately. "Are you still scared?"

"A little bit," Neo lightly nodded. "But I have you and the crew by my side."

"And you'll always have us," Law whisper softly while leaning down to capture her lips with his.


	32. A Little Scare

A Little Scare

Neo rolled over with a low sigh. She was trying to take a nap, but the lower back pain and cramps she was having was refusing to go away. She's dealt with them all day. It was Law's suggestion that she try taking a nap and try to relax.

She rubbed her hand on her stomach as she thought about how much more protective he, and the crew, has gotten when the news about her being pregnant was revealed. At first the crew was stunned to the point they couldn't speak then, when they finally found their voices, they had the same reaction as the Straw Hats. Over time the crew started to get more excited about it and made sure to check on her every chance they got.

She was still working on the whole thing. She didn't really know how she should be feeling about it, even now. She still didn't know much about kids after all. Law made sure to talk to Neo about what she should expect and made sure she talked about what she was feeling. It really helped her knowing she had such a good support system.

Neo sighed again. It was obvious that she wasn't going to get any sleep. She decided to go find Law to tell him about it. As she walked over to the door, she paused and looked at the still disassembled baby crib. Sitting beside it, was a couple gift bags full of baby clothing, baby toys that the Straw Hats insisted on getting her. Even the more less emotional of that crew got her and the baby a couple things. Neo protested getting so much stuff since, at the time, she was only three months along. But Nami and Robin wouldn't hear of it.

Neo shook her head and adjusted the maternity shirt she was wearing. It was one of the several Nami insisted she get. It was creamy green with yellow flowers decorating it. Now, seven months along, she still had trouble at times processing the fact she actually had a baby inside of her. But there was her rounded stomach, the cravings, the mood swings, the aches and pains greeting her everyday, proving to her she wasn't dreaming.

As she walked down the sub's halls, Neo felt some pelvic pressure. She placed one hand on the wall of the sub and the other on her stomach. "Neo? Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Neo replied. Penguin walked up to her. "I was trying to sleep, but this back pain won't stop. I was going to find L-Ah."

"Neo?" Penguin took Neo's hand. She squeezed it. "Maybe you should go lay back down."

"Penguin, I-Ah!" Neo squeezed his hand again. Her knees buckled. Penguin grabbed her and carefully lowered her to the floor.

"Neo!"

"Penguin! What's going on?" Shachi demanded, he and Bepo rushed over to them after hearing the commotion.

"Get the captain! Quick!" Penguin ordered.

"Right!" Shachi and Bepo shouted as they ran off.

"Hold on, Neo. The captain's coming," Penguin spoke softly as Neo continued wincing at the pain and squeezing his hand. She continued to focus on his voice until her vision started going dark. She barely heard Law's concerned voice as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Law picked her up and carried her into the infirmary. He laid her carefully on the exam table and started to check her vitals. Penguin stayed by her side, holding her hand, as Law continued to work on her. He wanted to ask his captain what was going on, but it was obvious Law didn't know.

Then her solar crystal appeared. It hovered above her stomach, spreading its warm healing magic over her body. Neo's pain filled expression soon vanished and she fell into a relaxed, peaceful sleep. The gathered crew let out a collective sigh of relief. Penguin squeezed her hand before speaking. "What was that? Is she all right now?"

"I don't know," Law replied softly. He placed her hand on her head. "At least she's resting peacefully now."

…

Neo opened her eyes to blurry vision, familiar beeping and wires attacked to her chest and stomach, monitoring her and the baby. She blinked, clearing her vision. When feeling someone's hand in hers, she turned her head to the left. A light smile formed on her lips. Of course it was Penguin. She didn't need to see Shachi and Bepo to know that they too were in the room.

When she started to sit up, Law appeared in her vision. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back down. "Don't you _dare_ even _think_ about it."

"Law," She started to protest, but stopped when she saw the fear in his eyes. She reached up and cupped his face. "Sorry, love. I scared you again, did I? What happened?"

"I'm not quiet sure. With the symptoms you had, I think you almost when into premature labor. After you passed out, your solar crystal appeared," Law replied. He placed his hand over hers and brushed his thumb on her skin. She pulled her eyes away from him and looked at her solar crystal. It was still hovering above her stomach. She turned her eyes back to him when he spoke again. "I'm putting you on bed rest. I don't want this happening again. You are not allow to walk but for a few minutes a day. And _no_ using your wings or your crystals. You are to do _absolutely_ _nothing_ but rest. If you need something, let me or the crew get it. Do you understand me?"

"Okay, Law, okay." She brushed her thumb over his cheek. "Lay down with me now."

Law did as she requested. With a kiss to the cheek, he snuggled up against her.

…

Neo rolled onto her side and reached for Law. When she didn't feel him, she sat up with a light gasp. Her eyes darted around the room until they landed on his figure walking back over to the bed. "I'm here, love."

"Don't scare me like that. I-I thought you were gone again. I thought you had..." Neo said, tears came to her eyes and she started crying. Law sat down and put his arms around her.

"Don't cry. I didn't mean to scare you," Law spoke comfortingly.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to. It's these darn hormones," Neo cried.

"I know. You don't have to apologize," Law kissed her temple. "Better now?"

"Yes," She nodded. Pulling back a little and studied him. He was obviously tired. She sighed. He hasn't left her side since her little scare last week. And he obviously was staying up nights to watch over her. "Law, you're doing it again."

"Sorry," Law mumbled.

"Law, you ca-"

"We're going back to Luminous," Law suddenly said, cutting her off. She gave him a questioning look as he continued. "I can't…I can't handle this."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not prepared enough to handle this on my own. I could have lost you last week," Law pulled away from her and placed his elbows on his knees. He laced his fingers together and pressed his thumbs to his forehead.

"But I'm okay now. Nothing has happened since."

"I know. But still, there's so much that _could_ go wrong, and that's just with human pregnancies. You being an Elemental, there could be issues that could happen that we don't know about. There's just too much to chance feeling so unprepared as I do. I can't do it."

"Oh Law," Neo put her arm around his waist. He moved his hands to his elbows. She placed her hand over his and pressed her lips to his bare arm. "You should have told me sooner that you were feeling like this. It's okay. We can go back."

"I'm sorry, love. I just can't take any chances, not with this, not with you," Law brushed his thumb over her hand.

"I know," Neo kissed his arm again.

She suddenly gasped. Law automatically squeezed her hand. "What?! What is it?! Are you in pain again?!"

"Our _son_ just kicked me," Neo smiled.

"Oh, geez, I really am unpre-," Law sighed heavily, running his free hand through his hair. He cut himself off and turned to her when he realized what she said. "Our _son_? It could be a girl, you know?"

"It's a boy. Somehow I can tell. I was debating on whether I should tell you or not. You've been so worried, I figured you could use some good news," Neo looked at her stomach then turned her attention back to him. She raised an eyebrow. "Or would you prefer a girl?"

Law opened his mouth to reply, but closed it. He thought about her words before answering her. He smiled and leaned closer to nuzzled against her. "I prefer a healthy baby. And for you, my love, to remain safe."

Neo nuzzled back against him. "Since we're on the topic of baby, there's been something I've wanted to talk to you about."

"And what's that?"

"I was thinking, since we're having a boy, we could name him after Rosinante," Neo smiled again when Law looked at her with a slightly stunned expression.

"You would…You would do that?"

"Of course. I know how much he meant to you. And I know how much you miss him," Neo took his hand and placed it on her stomach. Right on the spot where their baby was still kicking her. "I think he's going to be quite the rambunctious little boy. Just like his father."

Law couldn't help but smile and feel some pride in that. "You might be right. And I'd really like to name our son after Cora. I think he would like that. You should get some rest now."

"Only if you do too. You know I don't like it when you stay up watching me," Neo gave him her 'Or else' look.

"Okay," Law chuckled. She might not be as good as him where intimidation was concerned, but she sure could get him to bend over backwards for her and he knew it. He pecked her lips before she laid back against her pillows. He then leaned down to her stomach. "And you, little brat, I order you to settle down in there. Your mommy's tired and needs her rest."

"Law, you can't order a _baby_ around," Neo chuckled. She ran her fingers through his hair.

"He settled down, didn't he?" Law smirked.

"That was just a coincident," Neo rolled her eyes as he laid down beside her, propped up on his elbow.

Law chuckled again. "You know, Cora would have loved you."

"You think so?"

Law nodded.

"I wish I could have met him. He sounds like such a great guy. Plus, he saved you."

"He was a great guy. I'm glad he did save me. Because he did that, I got to meet you."

"I'm glad he did too," Neo said as she pulled Law into an intense kiss.

"Mmm, settle down now," Law mumbled through their kiss. "You should be resting. _Not_ trying to seduce me."

"Uh huh," Neo mumbled. When he tried to move away from her, she held him in place with vines.

"Neo," Law warned. "You're _not_ supposed to be using your crystals."

She sighed and released him with a pout that she typically used to get him to do what she wanted. Law started to falter, but quickly caught himself.

"Don't give me that look, young lady. It's _not_ going to work this time," Law chuckled. He kissed her forehead. "There will be plenty of time for that later."

"Okay, but you owe me."

"I guarantee I _will_ make good on that," Law said suggestively as he ran his hand up and down her side, making her shiver and tense. "I still love the way your body reacts to me."

"Hn, and you said no seducing!" Law chuckled again before placing a light peck on her lips.

"Goodnight, my love."

"Goodnight."

…

 **Author's Notes: The Ending…Well, technically there's two more chapters and I was going to end it. But the more I think about the last chapter, what I have planned for it, the less it feels like an actual conclusion to the story. I only have a vague idea to continue with. I haven't been able to get anything to come together. :/ I would like to continue, but can't if I my ideas don't come together.**

 **So what I'm thinking about doing is 'temporarily' ending it and see if I can get more chapters in order. And while I'm working on that, I'll continue with the one shots, and if anyone's interested, I'm thinking about doing a rewrite for A Frozen Soul & A Doctor's Orders that follows along with One Piece story line. I've thought of so many ideas for it that I really wanna do. ^_^ Hee Hee more cute Law and Neo moments!**


	33. Baby

Baby

"Neo?" Law placed his hand on her arm. She stirred before opening her eyes. "We're here."

"Okay," Neo sat up and stretched. She moved over to the edge of the bed. Still not wanting her to put stress on herself, Law lifted her into his arms. She put her arms around his neck and nuzzled her nose behind his ear then trailed kisses wherever her lips could reach. "Kinda a shame we're already here. I really don't wanna share you with anyone."

Law chuckled as he carried her out of their room. The crew was already outside, some on the beach, when the two emerged from the ship. Law warped himself and Neo down to the ground as some of the Elementals rushed over to greet them. Kiba came running up to them. "Neo!"

"Kiba!" Neo waved. When her brother got close enough, Law finally placed her on her feet.

"This is such a…" Kiba's voice trailed off when he noticed her rounded stomach. He blinked multiple times before finding his voice again. "Surprise…Wow! You're having a baby?!"

"Uh huh," Neo nodded with a light smile.

"Well, I'm stunned. Congratulations!" Kiba hugged her before shaking Law's hand. "But I'm a little confused, and concerned, at why you're here."

"Oh, well, I had a little bit of a scare a few weeks ago," Neo replied. Kiba shot her a concerned look. "I'm okay. Law put me on bed rest. Nothing's happened since then. Law just thought it would be best if we came back here."

"I see, I see," Kiba nodded. "First time and all. The healer will want to see you immediately. Come along then."

Law swept Neo back into his arms. Neo waved and greeted her people as they made their way through the village. The crew followed, but stayed outside as Law, Neo and Kiba entered into the healer's hut. "Madam Healer, come see who's back!"

"Kiba?" Madam Healer's voice came from the back room before she appeared. "Goodness! Princess! Your back! Are you injured?!"

The healer rushed over. She paused when she noticed Neo's stomach. She then glared at Law. "I hope you waited until _after_ you were wed."

Law glared and growled back at the woman. Neo bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. It appeared these two were never going to get along completely when it came to her. She answered for him. "Yes, Madam Healer, we did."

Still trading glares, Madam Healer pointed to an exam table. "Lay her down."

"I'll give you space then," Kiba stated while exiting the building.

"Be sure to inform everyone that our princess has returned. And have the cooks prepare a meal for her and her family," Madam Healer said while rolling up her sleeves.

"I will," Kiba waved to her. "See you two later."

Neo waved back to Kiba as Madam Healer began to roll up Neo's shirt. While she check Neo and the baby, Law talked with her about what happened on the sub. The older woman clapped her hands, satisfied with her results. "Mama and baby are both as healthy as can be. You've done well, young man. My diagnosis is that she most likely was about to go into premature labor, but you did what needed to be done. There is nothing to worry about. The only thing to do now is wait until the little boy is ready to greet his parents and this world."

"So we really are having a boy," Law scratched his head.

"Did you seriously doubt me?" Neo giggled and stuck her tongue out at Law.

"Ugh, men," Madam Healer huffed as she placed green crystals on Neo's stomach and chest. Law glared and growled once again at the woman. This time Neo didn't hold back her laughter, causing Law to frown at her. Neo squeezed his hand and turned back to the healer.

"What are those?" Neo asked.

"These are some of my crystals. Since you're so close to your due date, and with what happened, I'm going to take the precaution of keeping a close eye on you. Continue to rest as you have been. And _no_ getting excited," Madam healer said while pointedly eyeballing Law on that last order. "Other than that, you are free to go. Unless you have any questions."

"When will we know what element our baby has control over?" Neo questioned as the healer rolled her shirt back down over her stomach.

"There really is no set time. A rare few reveal that shortly after they're born while others reveal that a few months after," Madam Healer explained. "With the exception that you are, I'd guess that you'll know shortly after your baby is born."

"Thank you," Neo said. Law once again pulled Neo into his arms and they left the healer's hut.

They sat around talking to the Elementals until they were called in for supper. With Neo sitting at the head of the table, Law sat on her right as Kiba sat on her left. The crew spread out in the rest of the seats. Shachi suddenly spoke up through the chatter. "So what about Tao and Atlas? Are they still locked up?"

Neo flinched at the sound of their names as everyone else got quiet. Law placed his hand on Neo's knee. She placed her hand over his as Kiba cleared his throat. "Oh, well…"

"They didn't escape, did they?!" Penguin demanded, jumping up out of his seat.

"No, no, they didn't," Kiba shook his head.

"Kiba, what is it?" Neo asked softly.

"Well, I'm not sure I should say, but Atlas…is dead," Kiba replied.

"What happened?" Neo asked.

"Apparently he lost his mind after being disconnected from the darkness crystal. He went mad, talking to himself and all. He eventually killed himself," Kiba explained. "Tao hasn't said much since then. We don't believe that he was actually in on his father's plan. We have been talking about releasing him on probation since he's shown no signs of actually betraying us."

Neo flinched and tightened her hold on Law. Law narrowed his eyebrows and frown. The crews mood turned sour as well. Kiba noticed instantly. He waved his hands at them. "Don't worry. We haven't actually made the decision to release him yet. And we defiantly won't let him loose with Neo here. We can wait until you all leave before that decision is made. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset any of you. Please, continue eating."

They didn't. All their eyes turned to Neo and Law. She smiled at them. "It's okay, guys. I'm fine."

…

"Hn," Neo groaned again at the growing pain in her stomach.

"Neo?" Law asked. He propped up on his elbow and looked at her through their moonlit room.

"I'm fi…Law?"

"What?"

"I-I think my water just…B-But it can't," While Neo stuttered with her words, Law threw off their blanket then swept her into his arms and warped them into the healer's hut. Just as they appeared in the room, the lights came on and a disheveled healing woman stumbled into the room.

"Goodness, three a.m. in the morning," Madam Healer exclaimed. "Never will I understand why these things always happen in the wee hours of the morning."

"B-But I can't b-Ah!" Neo clenched ahold of Law's hand when he laid her down as another contraction wracked her body. "I'm not due until _next_ week!"

"Oh, honey, ready or not, you're due right now," Madam Healer said while preparing for the delivery.

"I can't. I can't do this," Neo shook her head as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Law, I'm not ready for this. I can't."

"It's okay, love. I'm right here," Law spoke soothingly. He held her hand and stroked her hair with his other hand. He kissed her forehead. "You can do this. Everything's going to be fine."

…

"How long has it been?" Shachi asked as he paced around agitated. He and the rest of the crew were waiting outside the healer's hut. They all gathered out there shortly after they found out that their girl was in labor. Some of the Elementals had gathered as well. But mostly it was just the crew who stayed around.

"Almost nine hours," Kiba replied. "Relax. Child birth isn't easy."

"I know that!" Shachi snapped. "I'm concerned!"

"Neo will be fine," Kiba assured them. "Madam Healer has deliver many babies. She won't let anything happen to the princess. I think you should be more concerned about him."

The crew looked in the direction Kiba jerked his thumb in. Sitting against the healer's hut, hugging his knees and extremely worried was Penguin. He hasn't said a word or moved from that spot since they all gathered out here. Bepo walked over to him. "She's going to be all right."

Penguin didn't acknowledge that the bear spoke to him. He continued to hug his knees and worry. Bepo looked over to the rest of the crew. Shachi motioned for Bepo to come closer. "Just give him space. You know he worries about her about as much as the captain does. He'll be fine once he sees her."

…...

"I can't do this! I don't _want_ to do this anymore! Law, make it stop!" Neo cried.

"Hold on, love. It's almost over," Law said, even though he really hated seeing her like this and wished he could do something to take her pain away.

"Come on, mama! One more push!" Madam Healer cheered with far too much enthusiasm for Neo's liking in her current state of pain. Neo, despite not wanting to, did as she was ordered to do. And with one more push the baby was out. "Hello, baby."

Neo dropped back onto her pillows. She panted and cried. Law pressed his lips to her forehead. "You did it, love. It's over."

"Law," Neo opened her eyes and looked at him. "I did it?"

"You did," Law brushed his nose against hers. "But you are _never_ doing that again. And I _will_ make that an order if I have too. I don't _ever_ want to see you in this much pain again."

Neo couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. That was Law. While snuggling with her, Law would take occasional glances over at their baby to make sure he was crying because he was supposed to and not because he was being hurt. Neo watched him intently every time he turned his attention from her to their baby. _He_ was already so protective of their baby. _He_ was ready for this.

Once mama and baby was all clean, Madam Healer walked back over to the new parents with the crying baby in her arms. "Here he is, Princess."

"Neo?" Law asked softly. Neo lightly shook her head, her eyes locked on the tiny, crying, breakable person in the healer's arms. She wasn't ready for this.

"I can't. I can't," Neo whispered, head lightly shaking, eyes not moving from their baby.

"Mmm, maybe it would be best if you handed her the baby," Madam Healer suggested.

Law stroked Neo's hair soothingly before taking their baby into his arms. Instantly the baby's cries slowed down to just fussy. He turned back to Neo. Her eyes still mixed with fear and uncertainty and still locked on their baby. He patiently waited to let Neo calm down. When he knew the time was right, Law carefully placed their baby in her arms. Her arms instinctively wrapping around the infant. He then immediately sat down beside her and put one arm around her shoulders and the other under her arms, for the support he knew she needed and wanted.

He quietly watched as her confused, scared eyes began to soften. Her eyes remained on the baby as he stopped fussing and became comfortable in her arms. When the baby was completely calm, she brought her right hand up and lightly touched her finger tip to the baby's tiny nose. She brushed her finger over his cheek before dropped her finger down to his little hand, his tiny fingers lightly curling into her touch. Tears dripped down her cheeks as she finally pulled her eyes from the baby to look at Law. "He…He looks like you."

Law smiled and kissed her softly. Madam Healer watched with her own happy tears in her eyes. She brushed them away. "Goodness me! Blubbering like a baby when there's a baby's birth to be announced. I'm sure everyone is waiting for the good news!"

"Can the crew come in now?" Neo asked.

"Well, it's our custom to let the mother rest before…" Madam's Healer's voice trailed off when she noticed Neo becoming sad. "Oh, all right. But only because you are a special case. However, they can _only_ stay for a few minutes. You've had a long, hard day and need your rest."

"I second that," Law nodded.

"I'll let them know," Madam Healer said, heading for the door. When she stepped outside everyone was waiting. They turned their attention to the woman.

"How is she, Madam Healer?" Kiba asked. Penguin finally drew his attention from his worrying and looked over at the woman.

"Mother and baby are both fine and healthy. And it's a boy," Madam Healer smiled. The crews cheers were so loud that Neo and Law heard them from inside. "Okay, okay, calm down now. It's against our customs, but the princess has given permission for her family to enter. But you are only allowed to stay for a few minutes. She's too worn out to handle much more."

The crew started to discuss whether or not they should go inside. They made the decision to let Neo rest before they invaded her space. Shachi turned to Penguin. "You should go in and see her. She'll want to see you most of all."

"Huh?" Penguin looked at Shachi then at Kiba.

"I agree," Kiba nodded. "You're her brother."

"But you're her brother as well," Penguin protested.

"I know that. But she's known you all longer than she's known me. I really don't mind. Besides," Kiba's knees wobbled. He plopped down on the ground. "I'm really going to need a few minutes."

"Go on, Penguin," Shachi gave his friend a shove towards the door. "Give her our love and tell her we'll see her when she's had some rest."

"If you all are sure," Penguin looked at them. They all reassured him that they were fine with it. He then entered into the hut with Madam Healer. She opened the door for him, but didn't follow him in. Once inside, Penguin hesitated. Neo sent him a warm smile. He finally walked over to them. He kissed her temple. "Hey, princess, the others want to come see you, but they want you to rest before they do. They send their love for now. How you doing?"

"I'm doing great," Neo replied smiling.

"Congratulation, you two!" Penguin shook his captain's hand before turning his eyes to the baby. "Wow. He looks just like the captain."

"You wanna hold him?" When Neo asked that question Penguin's eyes shot up to hers. He then looked to his captain, who nodded.

"Are you sure?" Penguin asked.

"Of course I am. You are his uncle after all," Neo nodded, carefully handed the baby over to Penguin. The man stood statue still as the baby fussed and shifted in his arms, but quickly settled down. Eventually, Penguin settled down too and started softly talking to the baby while lightly rocking his body. Neo's eyes teared up again as she watched the scene before her. She exchanged a look with Law then leaned into his embrace.

…

Law was sitting on the bedside, watching Neo sleep. They were still in the healer's hut. The woman wanted to monitor Neo for a few days before releasing her. While he watched her, he couldn't help but feel so proud of how she was with their baby. All it took was holding their baby for the first time for her maternal instincts to overshadow her fears. She gladly absorbed all the help that Madam Healer and Law gave her on how to hold and handle their baby.

His eyes were pulled from her sleeping form when their baby started crying. He slid off the bed and stepped over to the crystal crib. The crib was against the wall by the head of the bed. It was designed so new mothers could easily see their child. He reached in and lifted the baby out. He then walked over to a rocking chair and sat down. He spoke softly as he rocked him. "Hush now. Your mommy's had a very long, hard day."

Unknown to Law, Neo was awake. She was watching the whole scene before her. Seeing Law being so caring and gentle with their baby warmed her heart. She wished she could keep this moment forever. She watched them for a little while longer. Their baby soon settled down so she knew he didn't need to be fed again. She closed her eyes, knowing Law would want her to be sleeping, knowing both her and their baby was safe with him near.

…

"Neo!" Law exclaimed when Neo ambushed him the second he stepped out of the castle. She had thrown her arms around his neck, the momentum causing him to spin in place. He put his arms around her and regained his balance.

"Come on!" She laughed as she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the forest.

"Hey! Where are we going? What about the baby?" Law asked while being dragged along.

"Corazon's been fed, changed, now sleeping and is with the safety of the crew," Neo giggled.

"Are you sure about leaving him?" When Law said that, Neo stopped running, her shoulders slumped and a grey aura surrounded her. They have been on Luminous for a month. Law wanted to make sure she was secure and comfortable in her new mother role before they left. This was the first time, since their baby was born, that Neo was separating from him. It was a bit of a shock to Law. "Neo?"

"I'm _trying_ not to think about it," Neo sighed. She looked up at him. "I know we're leaving soon. And there's something I _really_ want to do before we go. It won't be the same if we brought him with us."

"And what would that be?" Law asked. She only smiled and started pulling him through the forest again. A little while later they emerged and strolled out onto the beach. Law looked around. He was confused. His attention turned back to Neo when she pulled away from him.

He watched her closely as she walked to the water. She giggled when the cool water rolled over her bare feet. "It's so cold. But it feels great."

She stood there for a while before turning to face him. She bit back a smile at the confusion in his eyes. He became even more confused when she summoned her wind crystals and caused her hair to flow in the breeze she created. She tucked a stain of hair behind her ear before returning her hand to her back. "L-Law…Would it be all right if I asked you something?"

"Of course," Law nodded, his confusing increasing.

"The, uh, last night…on the beach…"

Law blinked a couple times. A smile twitched onto his face. He finally understood what she was doing. "Yes?"

"W-What were you doing to me? I felt so…weird. It wasn't a bad weird. I wasn't scared of you. I was just scared. I felt bad, but I felt great."

"It might be hard for you to understand if I tried to explain it," He paused then added. "Would you still like me to tell you?"

She slowly nodded. He nodded back at her then tapped his chin. A smile spread across his face. "Room!"

"Huh?" Neo blinked. Suddenly Law was in front of her. He leaned in close to her. "Hey! That's not how this went!"

"I know. I just can't wait that long to kiss you," Law chuckled.

"Oh! You!" She whacked him on the arm.

"Close your eyes," Law chuckled. She huffed at him. "Just close your eyes for me. There's something I want to give you."

"Okay," Neo said with sass in her tone. She closed her eyes and waited. Like the first time, Law placed his hands on her hips. The same warmth touched her lips and spread over her whole body. He broke the kiss and smiled at her. She smiled back before he leaned in and placed multiple kisses on her lips, each one lasting longer than the last. She let her eyes slide closed and kissed him back.

He removed his hands from her hips and guided her arms up to his shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He placed his hands back on her hips then slid them around her, pulling her as close to him as he could. This time she was the one who slipped her tongue into his mouth. Eventually, they had to break the kiss for air. "You know, I think I did a great job teaching you how to kiss."

Neo chuckled. "Yes, yes you did, along with so many other things."

"I'll take you back now," Law said while giving her multiple pecks. "I know your missing Cora."

"I really love that you know me so well," Neo sighed. Law chuckled at how easy it was for him to read her. He warped them back to the village and right over to their baby. Bepo was laying on his stomach. He had his chin in his hands as he kicked his feet in the air while watching the baby sleep. The rest of the crew was either standing or sitting near the baby. Penguin was right by the little baby bassinet too, being the protective uncle they knew he would be. Neo rushed over to them and dropped to her knees. She finally relaxed when she touched Corazon's cheek.

"See? He's fine," Penguin said.

"Yeah," Neo nodded. "Thanks for watching him for us."

"You know it's not a problem," Penguin chuckled, ruffling his little sister's hair. Law then sat down and leaned against the tree. Neo scooted over to him. He took her into his arms and kissed her hair.

Several minutes later, Bepo broke their peacefully silence. "Um, Neo? What's this glowing red thing floating over Corazon?"

"Hm?" Neo leaned closer to inspect the object. She suddenly laughed out loud.

"What is it, love?" Law asked.

"Law, my love, we have a _fire_ baby," Neo smiled brightly at Law. Law blinked several times before turning his eyes to their son. The little glowing red object became more and more clear with each passing second. It was a fire crystal.

"The son of the infamous Captain of the Heart Pirates, the Surgeon of Death, former Warlord of the Sea, has control over the deadliest and hardest element ever," Shachi shivered as he and the rest of the crew became shrouded in a 'We are so doomed' depressing aura.

"What if he takes more after the captain than Neo?" Penguin asked, sending them into a deeper 'We are so doomed' aura. Neo laughed again at the state of her beloved crew was putting themselves in while Law leaned back against the tree with a proud, devilish, grin on his face.

…

 **Author's Notes: Ya know, I almost did go the twin route. But the more I thought about it the more I noticed that it would have been a but too much for Neo. I wanted to stay true to her character. :) So we have a baby now! And a fire one no less! Dang, Law's gonna have fun with that, isn't he? ;P Hee hee.**


	34. Reunion

Reunion

Neo sighed contently while she watched Corazon sleep. Her elbows were on the baby crib and she had her chin resting in the palm of her hands. Law spoke as he walked over to her. "You know, he won't disappear if you don't watch him sleep."

"I can't help it," Neo replied, not taking her eyes from their baby. She had fallen into a habit of watching him sleep every time he did. Law would often have to pull her away from Corazon at night so she would sleep too. "He's six months old today and I _still_ can't believe this actually happened."

"Well, it _is_ real," Law mumbled while he nibbled on her neck. "You can stop watching him now. How about I _distract_ you and prove that he's not going anywhere?"

"Oh? Is my pirate boy feeling a bit left out?"

"Hm, maybe," Law lightly bit down on her neck before taking her hips and spinning her around to face him.

"Well, maybe there's something I can do to fix that," Neo said before pulling him into a deep passionate kiss. She banished her wings from her back as his hands trailed over her body. She placed her hands over his and guided him down to her legs. She smiled into their kiss when he hooked his hands around her thighs and pulled her up. Her arms wrapped around his neck, legs around his waist to stabilize herself in his hold.

"What's so funny?" He questioned while trailing kissed down to her neck.

"For a man who hates being told what to do, you take directions _very well_ ," She replied while he walked her over to their bed.

"Only because _you_ are the one telling me what to do," He laid her down. With his lips crushing back onto hers, he kept his weight off her with his left arm while his right hand skillfully unbuttoned her shirt. He got all but two of the buttons undone when Corazon started fussing.

Neo placed a finger on Law's lips, signaling him to be quiet. When Corazon settled back down, Neo pulled Law back into their heated kiss as he snapped open the last two buttons. He placed his hand on her stomach before dragging it along her skin to her back, fingers fiddling with her lacy fabric of her bra. Before he could snap the hook loose, Corazon started crying full force. The two sighed. Law dropped to his side, keeping some of his weight on Neo. "Tell me, love, _how_ is it possible that _our child_ has Straw Hat's _lousy_ timing?"

Neo giggled and pecked his pouty lips. She got up and buttoned her shirt back up while walking over to the crying baby. She picked him up. "What the matter, my heart?"

"He hungry?" Law asked.

"Nope, not wet either," She replied, walking back over to him. When she climbed back onto the bed, Law placed his hand on her hip, giving her support so she didn't fall. She leaned against Law's chest as Corazon became interested in her buttons. "I guess he was just missing us."

"Or just wanted to _interrupt_ us," Law grumbled.

"Babies don't plan that," Neo whacked Law on his chest with a grin. Corazon yawned and laid his head on Neo's chest. Neo turned her eyes to their baby and lightly rubbed his back. "Enjoy this time. Soon we'll have our room back to ourselves when Cora is old enough to have his own. But, you know, he'll probably spend most nights sleeping in the crews quarters. I bet he'll be with Bepo the most. He is so fluffy. Then soon after that he'll want to leave and make his own pirate crew or do whatever he decides to..."

Her voice trailed off as she talked, tears came to her eyes. "Oh, Law! Our baby's growing up far too fast! I don't want him to leave!"

"Neo," Law couldn't help but chuckle a bit at her. He put his arms around her, pressing his lips to her hair. "Calm down and slow down. He's only six months old. We have plenty of years to spend with him before he leaves."

"I know," Neo rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "I can't believe I'm still so emotional."

"There's nothing for you to apologize for. I've told you that already," Law kissed her temple. "This is just part of having a baby. Madam Healer told you that you would be more emotional than a human would be. You're still adjusting to everything. It's to be expected."

"You and the crew as so wonderful and patient dealing with me, my raging hormones and silliness through all of this," Neo tilted her eyes to him. "I love you all so much."

"And we love you too," Law leaned down to kiss her passionately.

"I think Cora's finally asleep again," Neo said between kisses.

"Good," Law broke the kiss. He took their baby and carefully put him back into the crib before trying to pick up from where they were interrupted. He kissed her while his hand reached for her buttons again.

 _ **Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!**_

"Captain! Neo! Elian has just arrived!" Shachi's cheer full voice followed his interrupting pounding of their door.

"I'm going to _kill_ them," Law growled as Neo laughed.

 _ **Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!**_

"Captain? Neo? You are awake, right?" Shachi's voice remained cheerfully unaware of the impending storm that was on the verge of blowing his way if it wasn't for Neo.

"I'm killing him," Law growled again.

"Yes, Shachi, we're awake. We'll be there in a minute," Neo called back while holding Law in place with her vines.

"Okay!"

"I _will_ kill him," Law growled once more.

"Now, now, settle down. It's not Shachi's fault. We did plan this months ago," Neo cupped Law's face and pecked his lips multiple times while talking to him. "How about this…I'll ask Penguin to watch Cora tonight. That way mommy and daddy can have some time alone before meeting up with the Straw Hats. I promise I'll make up for this interruption. How does that sound, my love? And here's a little preview…"

She gave him an intense kiss, one that she knew he liked. He groaned into her kiss and slid his hand up and down her side while she dragged her hands through his hair.

"Fine. Shachi and Elian's lives had been spared," Law grumbled. Neo giggled again as they got up. She plucked Corazon, who woke up due to Shachi's knocking, out of his crib before leaving with Law. They made their way to the rec. room where everyone was waiting.

"Princess! Trafalgar Law!" Elian greeted them with a warm smile. "It is good to see you."

"It is good to see you as well, Elian," Neo smiled.

"Look at you," Elian said while scanning his eyes over Neo. "Just as beautiful as ever."

Law gave him a disapproving grunt, causing Elian to flinch. Neo elbowed Law with a light chuckle. "Thank you, Elian. Is Velocity with the Straw Hats?"

"She is. And she can't wait to see you and the baby," Elian's eyes landed on Corazon's just as the baby raised his eyes to the stranger. Cora was startled at the stranger in their home. Grabbing onto Neo's shirt, he fussed. Neo rocked him. She placed a kiss on his head when he calmed down. "Congratulations on the baby! We knew you'd both make great parents."

"They have done well," Penguin said with a proud smile. He stepped closer to Neo and ruffled her hair with much affection. Corazon waved his tiny hands at his uncle. Penguin gladly took the baby and started to baby talk him. "How's my favorite nephew doing? How you doing? We're gonna go see your Uncle Luffy, aren't we?"

Law growled again at that point. Neo giggled and wrapped her arms around his. She pulled him farther into the room to sit on the couch. He easily sensed her wanting affection from him. He put his arms around her, holding her firmly into his side and kissed her temple.

"So where are we going?" Bepo asked, gesturing to the empty seats around the table.

"To an island about four days from here," Elian replied, taking a seat in an empty chair.

"The Straw Hats are that close?" Neo asked, snuggling into Law's side.

"They are," Elian nodded. "But Velocity has been with them for three days. So they haven't always been that close. We made sure to pick a time where your two ships were the closest to begin with. This was that time."

…

"They're here!" Luffy cheered and waved his hands as the yellow sub jumped rose out of the water. The rest of the Straw Hats pulled their attention from their individual tasks. "Hey!"

"Neo!" Chopper ran along side Luffy towards the sub.

"I can't wait to see the baby!" Nami giggled as she and Robin walked towards the edge of the island to greet their friends. "Do you think they had a boy or girl? And who do you think the baby looks more like?"

"We'll know soon," Robin calmly smiled.

"Glad they're finally here," Velocity exclaimed. "Holding the secrets of the baby have been killing me!"

"Sister!" Elian waved. Velocity waved back.

"Neo!" Sanji cried with Celeste sitting on his shoulder.

"Hi!" Neo waved to them from the deck as the sub slowed to a stop.

Soon the Heart Pirates were all gathered on the island through Law's warping them all down. Nami and Velocity squealed at the cuteness of Corazon. The baby turned away from them at first, but within an hour he turned back and was laughing at them. They all settled in to share their stories of what they had been up to since the last time they saw each other.

"Yeah, I kinda freaked out at first," Neo admitted as they sat around with their friends. The other three women had Corazon and was playing with him. Neo was, like always, sitting beside Law with his arm firmly tucking her into his side. "But it defiantly got better. It feels so natural now. I never thought I'd enjoy it so much."

"I knew you'd make a great mother," Nami nodded.

"You've come a long way since the first time we met you," Robin said. "You're so mature and confident now."

"You think so?" Neo wondered out loud.

"You defiantly have," Sanji chuckled while handing her a cup of tea. He motioned to the distance he was purposefully holding himself at. He was mimicking the first time they met. "Remember the first time? You were so timid you actually hid in Law's shirt. Now you're talking like you've always known us."

"I guess you're right," Neo smiled and took the tea from his hands. "Thank you, Sanji."

"Sanji cutie! Sweet cutie!" Celeste giggled. Sanji smiled and tickled his little bug.

"Come to your Uncle Luffy!" Luffy grinned, taking the baby from Nami's arms.

"Careful, Luffy! Babies are fragile! And you don't want to freak Neo out!" Nami shouted.

"It's all right, Nami," Neo smiled at the orange haired lady. "I trust you all. Luffy won't hurt him."

"That's right!" Luffy nodded while dancing around with Corazon. "I'm his uncle after all! Isn't that right, baby?"

"Take it easy, Straw Hat!" Penguin ordered as he frantically followed the Straw Hat captain around.

"Seems like Penguin's the over protective one here. Kind of a shock," Usopp said. "By the way, what kind of element does Corazon have? Does he have all of them?"

"No," Neo drawled the word out. She casted a glance at Law, who's devilish grin reappeared on his lips like it did the first time. "He's not a royal."

"So what element does he have?" Franky asked.

Before Neo, or Law, could answer, Luffy walked back over to them. The Straw Hats gasped as the Heart Pirates laughed. Luffy pointed at the three red crystals hovering near Corazon. "Hey, what's with these crystals?"

"Those are Cora's fire crystals," Neo bit back a grin as Law's grew wider.

"He's a fire element?" Robin asked. Neo nodded.

All of the Straw Hats, minus Luffy, jaws dropped open. The same 'We are so doomed' expressions and auras fell upon the crews. The Straw Hats screeched. "YOU'RE TELLING US THE SON OF TRAFALGAR LAW, SURGEON OF DEATH, FORMER WARLORD OF THE SEA'S SON IS A FIRE ELEMENT?!"

Neo giggled before speaking. "Yes, our son is a fire element."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Brook asked. "You all travel on a sub."

"At least we don't travel on a _wood_ ship," Law's devilish grin started to morph into a sadistic one.

"Don't you dare!" Neo warned, but was grinning, as she whacked Law on his chest. He took her hand and kissed it. "You don't have anything to worry about. Babies can only create their crystals at this age. Elemental babies have milestones just like human babies. Usually an Elemental doesn't start using their element until they're about four years old. There have been a few who have started younger, like I did, but four is generally the age they start forming their element."

"That's awesome!" Luffy laughed while holding Cora in the air above him. "Such a good fire baby! You're gonna have so much fun with that!"

A few hours later, the majority of the crews were finally asleep. Neo was tucking the cover in around Corazon. She watched him sleeping for a while. Just as she was about to stand up and join Law, a strange feeling washed over her. She placed her hand on Corazon's head and the feel faded away.

"You gonna watch Cora all night?" She jumped when Law spoke to her. "I didn't mean to scare you. Why are you so jumpy?"

"Sorry," Neo stood up, but didn't look at him.

"Neo," Law walked over to her. He placed his finger under her chin and tilted her head. "What is it?"

"I just had this really weird feeling. It's gone now, but…"

"What did it feel like?"

"I'm not really sure," She turned her eyes to their sleeping baby.

"It had something to do with Cora, didn't?" Tears gathered in Neo's eyes. Law pulled her into his arms. "Don't cry, love. He's safe. I'm right here. Nothing's going to happen to him. Would it make you feel better if I stayed up and kept watch?"

"Don't do that," Neo shook her head. "You should sleep."

"Neo," Law said with his captain tone. "I will stay up if it will ease your mind."

Neo thought about it for a while before answering him. "No, I don't want you to. The crews are already keeping watch as it is. If trouble comes, they'll inform us."

"If that's what you really want, love."

"It is," Neo nodded. The two then laid down. Law pulled her into his arms. He kissed her before they settled down. Neo took one last look around before closing her eyes.

 **Will be continued as soon as I get my chapter outlines finished. Meanwhile, enjoy my one shots and rewrite of A Frozen Soul & A Doctor's Orders, first two chapters are up. **

**This was going to be the end-minus Neo's bad feeling-but I've decided to continue. I think I'll continue posting it under this title, if that's what people would like. I keep bouncing back and forth between posting the new chapters under a new title or not.**

 **Mei: Ah, I made you cry? Here's a hug! *HUG* And ya know, I kinda forgot that Cora constantly set himself on fire. ^_^ Funny coincident and a happy one. I love it! :D**

 **chasesgirl11: Yup, though I think his whole name is Trafalgar D. Rosinante Corazon. And here's a hug for you too *HUG***

 **Puddykats: Glad everyone likes it. Hug for you too *HUG* I feel like giving hugs.**

 **Apple Bloom: Yeah it would have been cute. You get a hug too! *HUG***

 **Hug for everyone else who's reading this but not posting a comment! *HUG***


	35. A Stranger P1

A Stranger

Part 1

Neo rolled over onto her back. She turned her head a couple times and narrowed her eyebrows. She clenched a hold of the blanket. With a startling gasp, Neo shot up in bed. "Something's wrong."

"Neo?" Law asked groggily. "What is it?"

"Something's not right," Neo hastily answered. She summoned then snapped out her wings. Before Law could ask anything else, Neo took into the air. She flew right over to Corazon. She peered into the crib to find their son safely sleeping with his thumb in his mouth. She sighed and reached in to touch his cheek to make sure this wasn't a dream.

Law walked up behind her. He put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "What is it, love?"

"I don't know. Something just feels wrong." Neo pulled her hand away from Corazon and bit her thumbnail. She twisted in Law's arms so she would face him. "I need to check on the crew. Will you stay with Cora? Please, Law? I really just need to check on them. I have to know they're all okay."

"You know I'll stay." Law then allowed her to slip from his grip. He leaned against the crib as he watched Neo quickly leave their room.

Neo rushed down the halls to the crews quarters. She scanned every single corner, every single room, every single shadow. Nothing seemed to be out of place. But Neo still couldn't shake the feeling that something just wasn't right. The sub was oddly cooler than usual, but she knew that wouldn't cause her to feel like this.

She paused at the control room and peered inside. The crew mate that was on guard greeted her with a concerned smile. "Is something wrong, Neo?"

"I'm not sure," Neo replied, darting her eyes around the room. "Has anything happened?"

"No, ma'am," The man shook his head. "Been quiet all night long."

"All right," Neo nodded. "Thanks. See you later."

"Sure thing," The crew mate replied.

Neo left that room and continued on through the sub. When she got to her destination, she quickly, but quietly, entered into the crews room. It wasn't a room she ever visited often. And when she did, she always knocked before entering. Tonight she didn't. It was a little past three thirty in the morning. She knew the crew would be sleeping by this time.

When inside, she walked to each and every one of the bunks that filled the room. All members were accounted for. All members were sleeping peacefully. Neo walked back over to Penguin and Shachi's shared bunk. Shachi was on top and Penguin was on bottom. Both had their mouths hanging open and were blushing. She couldn't help but smile. No doubt they were dreaming of pretty women.

While watching them sleep, Penguin kicked his cover off. Neo grabbed the blanket and pulled it back over him. She watched him sleep before running her eyes over the room one more time then left. As she walked back to her and Law's room, she started to feel a bit silly, but continued to scan for possible dangers.

When she got back to their room, Law was patiently waiting for her to return right where she had left him. Law pushed off the crib to meet her halfway across the room. He immediately wrapped her up in his arms. She laid her head on his bare chest and sighed. "Do you feel better now?"

"Not really," Neo sighed again. "Nothing was wrong. Everyone's where they're supposed to be. So why do I feel like this?"

"Did you have a dream?"

"I don't think so," Neo looked up at him and narrowed her eyebrows. "I might have. I'm not sure."

"Come on," Law pulled her towards their bed. They laid down and he pulled her into is arms again. He kissed her hair. "You problem just had a weird dream that shook you up. Nothings wrong. Everything and everyone's fine. I'm right here, okay?"

She tilted her head so she could look at him. "Will you hold me? At least until I fall asleep?"

"Of course," Law leaned down and kissed her. Once they broke the kiss, Neo laid her head on his chest. Sensing she wasn't going to go back to sleep anytime soon, Law started to rub her back. Eventually, he lulled her into sleeping again. He continued to hold her while scanning his eyes around their room.

Though he didn't tell her, he was having the same feeling too. He didn't want her to worry anymore than she already was. He knew that her instincts had gotten a whole lot sharper since Corazon was born. If she was this worried, then something was going to happen. He just couldn't formulate a possible guess as to what it was. Law sighed and kissed her hair again then tried to fall back to sleep himself.

…

The crew exchanged looks then looked back at Neo. Silently, they picked at their breakfast while continuing to toss glances around. They all could sense that she wasn't herself this morning. She was sitting at the table with them, mindlessly feeding Corazon. Corazon was busy playing with his food more than he was eating it. Half of his face and clothes were covered in his baby food.

Law tapped his finger on the table while thinking. A few seconds later, he spoke up. "You know, Neo, we've been spending a lot of time underwater here lately."

"Uh huh," Neo replied half heartily.

"I was thinking we could surface for a few hours. You could spend some time outside on the deck. The fresh air might help you feel better," Law said. Neo raised her eyes to him then dropped them back to Corazon.

"That sounds like fun," Penguin added. "We've been wanting to do some fishing."

"Yup," Shachi nodded.

"I'd love to nap in the sun," Bepo said. They waited for her to answer, but she didn't.

"Neo?" Law reached over and placed his hand on hers when she brought the spoon to Corazon's mouth again.

"I heard you all," Neo replied. She gave them a small smile. "And all right. Maybe it will help to spend some time in the sun."

"And we'll take care of the dishes today," A crew mate said.

"Yeah! And no arguing!" The rest of the crew added in.

"Na na, ba ba," Corazon babbled.

"And Cora agrees with us! So you have to listen," Shachi said with a wink.

"Okay, okay," Neo giggled. "I'm obviously outnumbered on this one."

"That's our good girl!" The crew cheered while they all attempted to hug her at once. Law smirked at the scene before him.

"Law! You could help me out here!" Neo shot him a playful glare for just sitting there.

"Sorry, love. You deserve this one," Law returned his own playful glare to her.

"Thanks a lot!" Neo stuck her tongue out at him.

Law just chuckled. He finished off his tea and stood up. He then patted Corazon's head then pecked her cheek. "And I'll be punishing you later for sticking your tongue out at me."

Neo's face flushed, knowing exactly the kind of punishment he was talking about. The crew knew too and began to tease her about it. They elbowed her while wiggling their eyebrows. Her face flushed even darker. "You'll like that!"

"He's gonna punish you!"

"Easy, guys," Penguin warned. He stood up and headed for the door. "You know not to tease her like that."

"Oh! You perverts!" Neo rolled her eyes.

"We still love you. But it's too much fun to tease you. We have to do it," Shachi smiled brightly. "A least a little bit."

"Uh huh," Neo summoned her wind crystals and suspended the crew in the air. Corazon giggled and waved his arms up at the crew.

"Neo!" The crew protested. "Put us down!"

"Come on, Cora," Neo cooed as she plucked Corazon out of his high chair. "Let's get you cleaned up."

"I warned you," Penguin said while Neo walked by him with Corazon in her arms. She tossed a smirk back at the crew while leaving them suspended in the air.

"The captain's been a bad influence on her," A crew mate said.

"Uh huh," They all nodded in agreement. "But we still love her."

…

Neo sat on the railing of the sub, her legs on the deck side instead of the ocean side. Corazon was on the deck trying desperately to climb upon Bepo's sleeping form. She smiled at his determination, but knew he wouldn't make it yet. He was only thirteen months old now. He didn't even know how to walk yet. She had no doubt, it wouldn't be much longer now. Corazon was reaching and beating each mile stone so easily. She wasn't surprised. After all, he has Law's blood in his veins.

She summoned her wind crystals and assisted Corazon upon Bepo when it was obvious he was going to cry. Now on Bepo's stomach, Corazon shrieked happily. Shachi and Penguin both chuckled. They were on the railing as well. Only their legs were dangling on the ocean side along with their fishing lines.

Corazon continued to make happy noises. He gave Neo a bright smile. "Mum mum."

Neo smiled and chuckled at Corazon's cuteness. The boy then turned his attention back to the sleeping bear. He patted and bounced upon Bepo's stomach multiple times. If Bepo felt it, he showed no signs. Bepo had become accustom to the baby playing on him. Both loved it.

Corazon flailed his arms again, this time causing himself to loose his balance. He started to fall towards the ocean side of the deck. Neo summoned her wind crystals to catch him, but Bepo raised his arm at the right time and kept Corazon from falling off him. Bepo, still sleeping, pushed Corazon back on his stomach and mumbled in his sleep. "Dumb fish…Don't hit our baby boy! I'm gonna eat you now…"

A frown pulled Corazon's lips down as he looked up at Neo. His frown morphed into a wail. Neo lifted him up with her winds and pulled him into her arms. She kissed his forehead. "There, there poor baby. Did you get scared? It's okay. Uncle Bepo saved you, didn't he?"

"Huh?" Shachi suddenly said. He pointed out into the ocean. "What is that?"

"What's what?" Penguin asked, looking out to where Shachi was pointing. A few seconds later, both the men shrieked. "It's a person!"

"There's someone floating in the water! Man, or woman, overboard!" Shachi shouted.

"I've got them," Neo said. She slid off the railing and turned towards the ocean. Summoning her water crystals, she lifted the person out of the ocean and laid them down on the deck. "It's a woman."

While the three adults looked down at their mystery woman, Corazon fussed and tried to climb higher in Neo's arms. The woman was tall, probably about Law's height, very curvy body with straight long black hair. She was wearing something that looked like a light green bikini top without straps and a dark green wrap with white spots tided around her hips. If she had shoes, she lost the in the ocean as her feet were bare. She wore a golden circlet with a deep green jewel in the middle of her forehead, gold bracelets decorated her ankles and wrists with matching golden hoops as earrings.

Shachi tilted his head. "She kinda looks like the Pirate Empress."

"She's wounded," Penguin said while kneeling down to the woman's left arm. She had a rather deep cut on it. "It looks like it's on the verge of being infected."

"What do you think happened to her?" Neo asked.

"Dunno," Penguin shook his head. "It doesn't really look like she was in a fight. Maybe she was on a ship and it got attacked by pirates or something and she tried to escape."

Neo kneeled down to take a closer look at the woman. She rubbed Corazon's back when he fussed again and tugged on her shirt. "I don't believe it."

"What is it, Neo?" Shachi asked.

"She…She's magical," Neo replied.

"What?!" Shachi and Penguin shrieked.

"She's not an Elemental, but she definitely does have magic," Neo looked up at the men. "I can sense it. It doesn't feel like Time Guardian magic either. I don't know what she is."

"What's going on?" Law asked as he walked through the door.

"Law," Neo looked over her shoulder. She then stood up and turned to him. "This woman was floating out in the ocean. She injured…And she's magical."

Law blinked at her then looked down at the unconscious woman. He crossed his arm and studied the situation. Neo stepped beside him. "What shall we do?"

"Let's take her to the medical bay," Law said.

"Are you sure?" Neo asked.

"It's fine. I'll patch up her arm. Once she's awake, we'll learn where she's from. Maybe there's an island nearby where we can drop her off at," Law said. He put his arm around Neo's waist and turned her towards the door. He toss Shachi and Penguin a look over his shoulder. "Bring her in."

Law then guided Neo into the sub. "How are you feeling now?"

"A little better," Neo replied. "Being outside did help some after all."

"I'm glad to hear it," Law said before kissing her.

"Dada!" Their kiss was interrupted by Corazon's happy shrieking. The two parted and looked at him. Corazon waved his arms at Law. "Dada!"

"Someone wants to see his daddy," Neo giggled. Law smiled and took their son into his arms. The three walked into the medical bay just as Shachi, carrying the woman, and Penguin arrived.

"Go back to mommy now," Law said while handing Corazon back to Neo. Corazon fussed and reached for Law again. He patted their son's head. "I've got some work to do right now. I promise to hold you again once I'm done."

"Dada!" Corazon chirped again. Law chuckled and tickled Corazon under his chin, earning a cute giggled from their baby. Law then turned and started to patch up the stranger's arm.

"How's she doing?" Neo asked a little while later.

"She'll be fine. There is a bit of an infection in the wound, but it'll be fine too," Law replied. "I'm using some healing medicine from Luminous since she's magical."

"Probably a good idea," Neo said with a nod. She looked down at the woman. A strange feeling washed over her. She tightened her arms around Corazon. "I…I hope she's not an enemy."

Law finished up with the strange woman then walked over to Neo. He kissed her before speaking. "If she is, I'll eliminate her immediately."

"You're such a wonderful protector," Neo purred.

"Da da da," Corazon clapped his hands then held them out for Law.

"All right. I did promise," Law chuckled as he took their son into his arms. With their son in one arm and Neo on the others, Law guided them out of the medical bay leaving their strange quest behind.

…

 **Author's Notes: K, I'm starting up again. Hope people like it. I keep second guessing it, but it sounds like a fun idea. So here we GOOOOOO!**

 **Sariko-chan723: Hi! Thanks a lot! Doflamingo and Kid you ask, hm? I might have worked a few surprise appearances in here with what I planned. Maybe even a certain big surprise from 'someone'. We'll see soon. ^_^**


	36. A Stranger P2

A Stranger

Part 2

"How's she doing?" Neo asked.

"She's doing fine. The Elemental medicine is working," Law replied. "It shouldn't be too long before she's awake."

"That's good to hear," Neo said. Law instantly picked upon the uncertainty in her voice. He turned to her and studied her. She didn't have Corazon with her so he assumed their baby was with Penguin. She had her arms crossed and was cautiously looking at the strange woman laying on the operating table.

Law walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. "Still cautious around strangers."

"Sorry," Neo sighed, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Don't be. It's a good thing. Especially with Cora here," Law said while trailing kisses on her forehead, cheek and down to her neck. She hummed and tilted her head so he could get to her neck better. He smiled against her skin. "Hm, you taste so good."

"Lucky me," Neo chuckled. As she slipped her arms up to his neck, he slid his hands down to her thighs and lifted her up. She wrapped herself around him and locked their lips together. He started to walk her towards the door, but stopped when a soft moan was heard from the only other person in the room. The two sighed. "Figures."

"Yeah," Law kissed her again before allowing her to pull away from him. The two walked over to their awaking guest.

She moved her head a couple times before opening her eyes. She turned her head and looked at Law and Neo with dark green, almost black, eyes. Neo smiled, but remained cautious. "Hi there."

"W-Who are you?" The woman asked.

"We're pirates," Law replied. The woman just blinked.

"Law," Neo elbowed him. "That might not be the best thing to say to someone first waking up in a strange place."

Law just shrugged and crossed his arms. "It's true. I'm the captain of the Heart Pirates."

"We found you floating in the ocean," Neo said, ignoring Law.

"You have a slight infection in your wound, but it will be fine in a couple days," Law said.

"Then _you_ saved me," The woman smiled at Law. Neo twitched.

"She's the one who actually saved you," Law jerked his thumb at Neo.

"Well, my thanks goes to your little sister then," The woman kept her eyes on Law. Neo frowned at the woman's actions and for calling her Law's sister.

"She's my _wife_ ," Law frowned. He hooked his arm around Neo's waist and pulled her closer to emphasize his point.

"Oh, my mistake and apologizes. So where am I?" The woman asked. She sat up and looked around the room.

"You're on our ship," Law said. He glanced down at Neo when she snuggled closer to his side. He gave her a comforting squeeze before continuing to talk to the woman. "Mind telling us how you ended up in the ocean? Were you attacked or something?"

"I'm not really sure," The woman turned to them and curled her feet under her. "I was sitting with my family in our living room when everything suddenly when black, then the next thing I know I'm here. But I'm thinking that might not be such a bad thing since you're a magical creature too."

Neo's body automatically flinched. Law tightened his hold on her, letting her know he was still there. "Uh, y-yes, I am."

"I thought so," The woman smiled. "I'm not sure what you are, but I can tell you have control over the elements. Am I right?"

"Yes," Neo nodded. "I'm an Elemental."

"Elemental, huh?" The woman tapped her chin. "I believe I've heard of your people before. It was a long time ago so I'm unsure of the details."

"And what magical creature are you? What's your name?" Law asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Isleen. And I'm a fairy," Isleen smiled at them. She laid back down on her right side, facing them. The opening of the wrap fell open. It revealed her long tan leg all the way up to her hip. Neo twitched at the position the woman was putting herself in and tightened her hold on Law.

"Is your home around here? We can drop you off," Law said, sensing Neo's discomfort and her possessiveness but not saying anything. He gave her another squeeze to let her know everything was fine.

"I highly doubt you're anywhere near my home. But that's all right. Once I've regained my strength I can just teleport home," Isleen answered. "So don't worry yourselves over that."

"You can teleport?" Neo asked.

"Yup," Isleen nodded and shrugged. "It's a simple trick, but it comes in handy."

"How long will it take you to regain your strength?" Law asked.

"A couple days," Isleen said with confidence. The woman's eyes locking onto the pirate captain. "Would it be all right if I stay here? I don't want to be a burden. I'm just not exactly use to being around humans."

Law looked down at Neo. "She can stay if you are fine with it. It's completely your decision, love."

"I guess so," Neo returned his gaze. "It's not like she has anywhere else to go."

Law nodded while keeping his eyes locked onto Neo's. They forced themselves to look back at their guest. "You can stay. As long as you don't cause trouble for my _wife_ and crew."

"Aye Aye, Pirate Captain," Isleen saluted.

"You should stay here and rest," Law said as he turned Neo towards the door. "I'll be back later to check on your wound. And we'll get you something to eat."

"Thank you. I'll be waiting for your return," Isleen smiled.

Law nodded then guided Neo out of the room. Neo huffed. "Could she have been more obvious?"

"Obvious about what?" Law asked. Neo turned her confused eyes up at him thinking 'How could he have missed all of that woman's advances?'. When she locked eyes with him, she understood. He smirked at her.

"You are such a wonderful husband," Neo hugged him. "You always know what I need right when I need it."

Law chuckled then kissed her temple.

…

"Do you really think she's a fairy?" A crew mate asked.

"I dunno. I've never seen one before," Another crew mate said. Some of the crew were gathered in the galley talking about their new guest. They all were unsure and on guard about this stranger, but that was understandable considering Neo's past and with Corazon on board. They wanted to make sure their little sister and their baby boy were safe.

"What do you think, Neo?"

"I'm not really sure what to think," Neo replied honestly. She stared down at the rice dish she was preparing for the crew and their guest. "I know for sure that she's a magical creature. And I do sense that she does have teleporting abilities. But…"

"You're still cautious around her because of your past," Penguin finished for her. He was holding Corazon on his lap while the baby banged toys on the table. "It's understandable that you feel like that. We'll keep a close eye on her."

"I figured you all were gonna do that anyway," Neo smirked over at her crew. They returned guilty looks but nodded.

"Is she really a fairy though?" A crew mate asked. "She doesn't have wings. And what about her magic? All she can do is teleport?"

"I wouldn't know. Remember, I don't know that much about magical creatures either. I barely know about my own people. But I suppose it's possible that not all fairies have wings," Neo flicked her own wings. "I never would have thought before that I'd have wings. And that I could hide them. And I'm not even a fairy."

"True," The crew said simultaneously with nods.

"As for her magic, I suppose she can do more than teleport. I can sense something else besides that abilities. But I'm not going to pry. If she wants to tell us about her abilities then she can, if not then she doesn't have to. Remember, I didn't like talking about mine with you all. And I still don't like sharing that information with strangers," Neo looked at them. "And I don't want you all prying either."

"Yes, ma'am," The crew chorused.

"Supper's ready, goofballs," Neo chuckled while filling a tray with Isleen's supper. She then headed for the door, pausing to kiss Corazon's head. Corazon giggled as he continued to bang his toys on the table. "I'm gonna take this to Isleen now."

…

Law remained quiet as he checked Isleen's wound. He could feel the woman's eyes running all over him. He did his best to ignore her and show her signs of being annoyed, but he got the distinct feeling she was just ignoring his attempts as much as he was ignoring her attempts. He caught a glimpse of her smirking. "Well, Doctor Pirate? Am I going to live?"

Law grunted. "You knew that when you first woke up."

"Yes, but that was hours ago," Isleen said, running her eyes over his chest again. "Something could have happened since then."

Law huffed. "Your injury is just fine. The infection is going away. And nothing new has popped up."

"I'm so glad," Isleen gave a sigh of relief. "You're such a good doctor. I'm gonna have to do something to _properly_ thank you for saving me."

Law narrowed his eyebrows and frowned. He made sure to keep his eyes on his medical supplies that he was currently using. He cast a glance over at the door, sensing Neo was there and heard what Isleen had said, then back to his supplies. "I told you before, Neo is the one who saved you."

"But _your_ the one with the medical experience," Isleen said while purposefully moving her leg to brush against his while pretending it was an accident. "Sorry, I was getting stiff from sitting still for so long."

Law lowered his voice so Neo wouldn't hear him. "Stop pretending you're not trying to flirt with me. I know exactly what you're trying to do here. And you _will_ immediately stop doing it. Neo is _my love_ , _my wife_. My loyalty and love belongs to her, and _only_ _her_. While she has given you permission to stay on board, that does not mean you have the right to do as you please. If you do _anything_ to hurt her, in _any_ kind of way, I _will_ _kill_ you."

"Hm," Isleen leaned back and studied him, undaunted by his threat. She lowered her voice to match his. "Interesting… At first glance, I didn't take you to be the submissive type at all. And I still don't believe you are, but it seems that you are submissive, at least a little bit, to that _girl_."

Law gritted his teeth and glared at Isleen. He didn't like the way this woman was referring to his love. Before he could do or say anything to her, Neo finally walked into the room. "Supper's ready."

"Great! I'm starving!" Isleen pulled her feet back onto the exam table. Neo handed her the tray and she started eating. Law glanced at Neo, but she didn't return the look. He sighed and put up his medical supplies. "Wow! You're such a good cook!"

"Thank you," Neo said softly without making eye contact. "I didn't know what you would like."

"This is just fine," Isleen smiled.

"That's good to hear," Neo replied.

"We'll be going now," Law said. He walked over to Neo and put his arm around her, guiding her away from Isleen. "Someone else will be back later for the dishes."

Neo didn't protest as Law guided her out of the medical bay. Law waited until they were far enough away from the room to speak to her. "I'm sorry. Next time I'll have one of the crew come in with me. She won't be allow to talk like that again."

"Law, she's just being grateful," Neo replied with her eyes glued to the floor.

"Neo," Law said in his warning tone. He sighed when Neo flinched. He then tilted her chin up so she would look at him and went back to his normal tone. "Love, I know you were listening. And I know you understood what that tone she was using meant."

"Law, really, it's fine," Neo gave him a light smile. "My trust in you is absolute. I know you put her in her place when you lowered your voice so I couldn't hear what you said."

A flash of guilt ran across his features before he smirked devilishly at her. "I'm still having a crew member with me when I go in there."

"Fine. If it makes _you_ feel better," Neo shot him a playful smirk.

"Uh huh," Law raised an eyebrow at her. He knew she wanted him to do just that. She just wouldn't admit it. He pressed her against the wall and pinned her there with his body. He took on his playful, possessive tone. "Don't worry, love. I know you're glad I won't be alone with her again. I belong to you and only you. You should have just come right out and said it. You know I disapprove of you keeping your thoughts in."

Neo stuck her tongue out at him. "Keeping my thoughts in? I can't do that when you always know what I'm thinking."

Law chuckled. "True…But you _need_ to _tell_ me how you feel."

"Fine," Neo surrendered quickly known it's better to just get it over with. "I don't like how she was talking to you. I don't like the looks she gives you. And I love that you're not going to ever be alone with her again."

"Good girl," Law kissed her. He mumbled into their kiss. "I'll punish you later for having me to force that confession out of you."

"Well, I can't wait then," Neo giggled.

"Hm," Law hummed. "Maybe we shouldn't wait."

"But supper-"

"Can wait," Law mumbled while picking Neo up. She locked her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "Cora with the crew?"

"Yup. Our little baby is with our big babies," Neo chuckled when Law scoffed at her referring to the crew as babies again. He turned to carry her towards their room, but only made it a few steps.

"Hey, Cap-Oooh," Shachi's voice trailed off when he noticed the situation he just interrupted. He chuckled nervously. "Sorry about…uh…We were just wondering what was taking so long. And…um…"

Law sighed and grumbled as he dropped his face to her shoulder. "Interrupted again." "Poor baby," Neo giggled while stroking the back of his neck. "We're coming, Shachi."

"Uh huh," Shachi turned and dashed down the hall.

"And before you say it, don't," Neo warned. "You're not going to kill anyone."

"Yeah, yeah," Law grumbled while Neo dropped from his hold. She wrapped her arms around his and pulled him towards the galley.

…

 **Author's Notes: Oh things are heating up, aren't they? Thanks for the reviews! I love them! You all are so nice. ^_^ Hugs for all!**


	37. A Stranger P3

A Stranger

Part 3

Law grumbled to himself. Though he wasn't looking at her, he could easily sense that she had her eyes glued onto him. But this time she held her tongue. And just like he promised Neo, Law always had a crew member with him when in the infirmary with Isleen. He also suggested to her that it might be best if she steer clear of Isleen for a while. So she did. She let one of the crew take their guest her meals.

"Just wondering," Isleen suddenly said. "But are we ever going to surface?"

"We'll surface in a few minutes," Law replied stiffly. "The crew wants to do some fishing."

"Sounds like fun," Isleen giggled. "If it's all right with you, Doctor Pirate, I'd love to go outside as well. I'm feeling a bit…suffocated."

"It won't bother me if you go outside," Law replied. "You're free to do as you wish as long as you don't cause any trouble for me, my _wife_ , our son or my crew."

Isleen giggled again. "I understand."

"Yeah," Law grumbled under his breath. "I'm sure you do."

"Sheesh," The crew mate whispered. "She really doesn't give up, does she?"

Law could only sigh and nod.

…

"We're surfacing soon," Penguin said as he walked over to Neo and Corazon. The two were in the rec. room. Neo had laid a blanket out on the floor with Corazon's toys spread out on them. She was laying on her stomach, her feet kicking back and forth, while mindlessly playing with Corazon's blocks. Corazon was playing with just about all of them. He'd pick up one toy, play with it for two seconds, toss it away from him then grab the next one.

"Uh huh," Neo nodded.

"Why don't you come outside with us?" Penguin said. "The fresh air will do you some good."

"I don't think so," Neo shook her head. "I have a feeling that Isleen will be going out on the deck once we surface. I'm just going to stay inside and read."

"Well," Penguin slowly nodded. "Okay, if that's really what you want."

"It is. And I'm fine," Neo smiled at him. "But I'd appreciate it if you would take Corazon with you. He's being a bit-"

Corazon squealed and tossed a toy across the room. "-unruly today. I think he's feeling a bit trapped."

"I'd love to take him outside. You know that," Penguin smiled while ruffling up her hair.

"Thanks, Penguin," Neo returned his smile.

….

Isleen hummed as she stretched her arms as far out as they could go. The sun was warm and beating down on her and the crew members, plus Corazon, who were now outside on the deck. She breathed in the salty air. "This feels great! Three days stranded inside was really getting to me."

"Neo can be like that too," A crew mate said. Penguin tossed his crew mate a hidden glance. Corazon was standing on his feet while holding onto Penguin's index fingers. He wasn't trying to walk. He just wanted to hold onto his uncle's fingers and bounce up and down while making baby noises. "I wonder if it's a common trait in magical creatures."

"She is?" Isleen looked over her shoulder at the crew mate who talked. "I'm not sure about all of them, but I believe a lot of magical creatures are very in tuned with nature and can get restless when trapped inside for far to long. Usually creatures who are bound to nature are rather strong, but she doesn't seem like she's all that powerful. What's her story anyway? She seems so fragile. And how did _she_ managed to _trap_ a guy like your captain? I think he would be better suited with a woman who's stronger and more solid."

The corner of Penguin's lips pulled down at the woman's words. He was starting to really dislike the woman. He could tell that this woman either was just blind to how much Law and Neo loved each other or she just didn't care. He huffed before speaking. "She's a lot more powerful and stronger than you will ever realize. She's just a very shy and very gentle person."

"But why? What happened to make her such a delicate person?" Isleen turned to look at Penguin. She collapsed her hands behind her back and gave him a curious, almost innocent, look. Penguin took a moment to scan his hidden eyes over the woman's body. The way she was standing told him she was trying to use her body to get what she wanted. He wasn't falling for it. He would never fall for a woman who spoke about his sister like Isleen was doing. He glanced at his fellow crew mates. They weren't buying it either. They postures were ridged and their lips turned down in frowns. She smirked at their silence. "You all are very protective of her, huh?"

"Of course we are," A crew mate scoffed. "She's like a little sister to us all."

"I can see that," Isleen walked closer to Penguin. She squatted down and smiled at him. Corazon fussed and climbed into Penguin's arms to get away from the stranger. "And she seems really close to you."

"We have a close bond," Penguin patted Corazon's back. "But it's nothing compared to her bond with the captain. _No one_ can break it. She's our girl. And you'd be smart to leave her and the captain alone."

Isleen's smile faded a bit. She stood up and collapsed her hands behind her back. "Oh don't worry. I won't be here for much longer. I feel like I'm about ready to make my move away from here. As much fun as I've had here, I actually have an important task I need to attend to soon."

"Good," Penguin whispered to himself. "The sooner you leave the better."

…

Neo hummed a song to herself as she filled up the tub for Corazon's bath. Once the water level was where she wanted it, she turned the knobs off and stepped back into their room. She paused at the bathroom door and smiled at her two favorite boys.

Law was sitting at his desk trying to write. Neo had left Corazon on the floor so she could get his bath ready. Apparently he crawled over to Law and was now in Law's lap. He was standing up on Law's legs playing a little game of 'Grab daddy's hat'.

Corazon would grab Law's hat and giggle wildly while shaking the hat up and down. Law would smirk, take his hat back and place it on his head only to have Corazon snatch it off again. Neo walked over just as Law reclaimed his hat. She snatched it off this time. Law gave her a playful growl. "Hey! One hat snatcher is enough."

"Can you blame us?" Neo asked while handing Corazon the hat. She wrapped her arms around Law's neck and kissed his cheek. "It's such a cute hat."

"Yeah, yeah," Law grumbled with a smile.

Neo laughed and held out her hands to Corazon. "Come on now, my little love. Time for your bath."

Corazon leaned towards her hands. She picked him up and plucked Law's hat out of his hands. Corazon momentarily frowned at the loss of his toy, but then hugged Neo. Neo then held their baby closer to Law. "Say, 'See you in a little while, daddy'."

"Behave yourself for mommy," Law ordered while pecking Corazon's forehead. Neo then pecked Law's lips before heading for the bathroom. "Ahem! My hat?"

"Mine now," Neo stuck her tongue at Law while placing his hat on her head. Law chuckled while watching his love and son disappear into the bathroom. He turned back to his writing. A little while later, Law sensed a presence in their partway opened door. He sighed, already known who it was.

"Go away," Law growled.

…

"Mama ma," Corazon mumbled. He had one of his water toys in his hand and was bobbing it up and down. He'd occasionally hit the water, sending drops of water flying into the air. Neo cheated in not getting wet. She summoned her water crystals and directed the drops back into the water. Every time she did this Corazon's eyes would widen with glee. He really loved it when Neo used her crystals around him. He summoned his own fire crystals and gave his mom a bright grin.

"Such a silly baby," Neo giggled. She grabbed his baby shampoo and started to lather up his hair. "You love summoning your crystals, don't you? I can't wait for you to start using your fire. I bet your uncles can, however. I just know you're gonna drive them crazy with worry."

"Mama!" Corazon squealed again. "Da da da!"

"And daddy's going to have so much fun with you. He's gonna be a little devil. Especially when we run into Uncle Luffy again," Neo giggled as she imagined what all Law would do if they did run into the Straw Hats again when Corazon finally started using his fire. But her imagination was cut short when she sensed a familiar, highly unwanted presence walk into their room. She sighed. "That woman just doesn't know when to give up."

"Dada da," Corazon said as if to soothe her.

"You're so much like Law. You too seem to know what I need when I need it," Neo smiled lightly as she started to wash the shampoo out of his hair. "Daddy won't let her do anything inappropriate."

Neo couldn't help but sigh again when Isleen started talking. She reached up and touched Law's hat. "He'll kick her out soon."

…

"No need to be hostile," Isleen said while walking farther into the room, running her eyes all over. "I just want to come by and thank you. I have a feeling I'm going to be leaving soon."

"Then leave," Law growled. He grabbed his books and stood up. He then walked over to the bookshelf and shoved them back into place a little harder than necessary. When he turned around, Isleen was right there. "What are you doing?"

"I just noticed you're not wearing your hat," Isleen reached up for his hair. "Your hair is so dark and wild."

"Stop," Law grabbed her wrist and squeezed it before she could touch him. He squeezed it hard enough that she should have winced, but she didn't. She just kept her hungry gaze on him. "Get out. _Now!_ "

"Oh, come on, Law," Isleen said pressing her body into his.

"You do not have permission to call me by my name," Law shoved her away from him. "Leave."

"Come on now. I just want to properly thank you for saving me," Isleen said while trying to press against him again.

"I know exactly what you're trying to do. And it's not going to work," Law roughly grabbed her arm and shoved her towards the door. He didn't give her the change to protest. He just shoved her out the door, shut it in her face and locked it tightly. He rubbed his forehead with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, Neo. I should have shoved her out the second she walked in here."

"Well, she sure is persistent," Neo mumbled while carrying Corazon over to their bed. "How much do you think she practiced to get that good?"

Law quietly watched Neo sit down on their bed. She unwrapped Corazon from his towel and started to apply lotion to his skin. She then grabbed his night clothes and dressed him, noticing they were a little snug. Law walked over at that point and sat down behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the base of her neck before resting his chin on her shoulder. "Cora is starting to outgrow his clothes again."

"We'll get some bigger ones when we dock tomorrow," Law said. He pressed his lips to her neck again as silence feel over the room.

"I want her _off_ our ship. I want her _out_ of our home," Neo gritted her teeth. She picked Corazon up and held him close to her chest. "I don't want her near my family anymore. I don't…want her near you."

"I know, love," Law kissed her neck again. "The second we dock, I'll _personal_ kick her off."

The two went quiet after that. Neo held Corazon while Law held her. Soon Corazon yawned and closed his eyes. Law let Neo slip from his hold so she could place their son in his crib. She laid Corazon down and watched him sleep. She didn't take her eyes off him until the main lights suddenly went out. She looked up at the ceiling in confusion. Next thing she knew, Law had his hands on her hips and spun her around to face him. "Wha-"

Law cut her off with his lips. He kissed her deeply while running his hands up and down her sides. He cut off the kiss, pressed their foreheads together and listened to her pant before speaking. "I think you need a reminder that I belong to _you_."

"Well," Neo slipped her hands under his shirt and rubbed his well toned stomach. She then pulled his shirt off. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"I know it won't hurt," Law said while removing her shirt. He then picked her up and carried her over to their bed. He laid her down and locked their lips in a passionate kiss.


	38. A Stranger P4

A Stranger

Part 4

Law, carrying a tray of cinnamon pancakes and a glass of milk, reached for the doorknob and paused. He waited for the two passing crew mates to nod their greetings then pass on by before opening the door. He slipped inside and closed the door behind him. He smiled as his eyes automatically went to Neo. She was still asleep.

He walked over and sat the tray down on the nightstand. Sitting down on the bed, he watched her sleep for a minute before pushing off his shoes. He then laid down on his stomach near Neo. He placed a kiss on her bare shoulder before placing several kisses on her face, effectively pulling her from her slumber. Law smiled when she finally opened her eyes. "Good morning, Princess."

"Now that's a good way to wake up," Neo said just before Law leaned in and kissed her lips. She hummed against his kiss. "A very good way to wake up."

"Glad you approve," Law said with a smile.

"I smell cinnamon pancakes," Neo then kneaded her eyebrows. "Did I over sleep? What time is it?"

"A little past nine," Law said propping up on his elbow.

"Why didn't you wake me up? Where's Cora?" Neo, clenching the cover to her chest, started to sit up. Law pressed a finger to her forehead and pushed her back down. "Law-"

"Cora's fine and with the crew. You've been a bit stressed out with that woman onboard. You know I don't like it when you get like that. You needed a day to sleep in. And breakfast in bed. So you are staying right where you are," Law said, trailing his finger down her arm.

"I see," Neo smirked at him. "Can I at least get dressed?"

"Nope," Law gave her a devilish grin. "I _very_ much like you in your natural state."

Neo's cheeks flushed pink. "Law, you're being naughty again."

Law chuckled as he grabbed another pillow and put it behind her. "You love it."

"Maybe I do," Neo chuckled as Law picked the tray off the nightstand. He placed it down on her legs then picked up the fork. He cut off a bite and held it up to her. "I don't even get to feed myself?"

"Not this time," Neo rolled her eyes slightly, but opened her mouth for the first bite.

"You're spoiling me," Neo said after swallowing.

"You deserve it, love," Law said before kissing her again.

"Ah, you're so sweet," Neo fiddled with his chin before he held up another bite for her. "But you know, the crew is going to interrupted us at some point."

"No they won't," Law smirked at her. "I've ordered them to stay away for two solid hours. If anything comes up, they are to handle it. If they do interrupted us, I told them I'd Shambles them into as many pieces as I could then stuff their body parts into a crate and shove them in the farthest corner of the sub."

"Law!" Neo's attempt at chastising him was useless. She knew he'd easily carry through on that threat and her mind automatically pictured the crew in pieces. She laughed. "You really are a naughty boy."

Law chuckled again and continued feeding Neo her breakfast. As soon as Neo polished off her milk, Law set the items aside and coaxed her into a heated make out session. Eventually, their time alone was up. And Law finally allowed her to get up and dress. The two exited their room with an arm around each other. Neo glanced up at him as they walked down the hall. "I love that you spoil me."

"Well, you deserve every bit of it," Law leaned down and kissed her again. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes," Neo nodded. "I'll feel even better when she's out of our home."

"Just a few more hours and she will be," Law replied. "I promise she'll be gone right after lunch."

The two entered into the rec. room. Corazon squealed happily when he saw his parents. He dropped the toys he was holding and crawled over to them. Neo bend down and picked him up. "There's our baby boy. Have you been good for your uncles?"

"He always is," Penguin chuckled from his spot on the floor.

"I've got to get to work now," Law said. He pecked Neo's temple then tickled Corazon under his chin before leaving the room. "See you later then."

"Okay," Neo nodded as Law left the room. She then turned to Penguin. "It's almost lunch time. We should get cooking."

"It's already being taken care of," Penguin said as he stood up. "Shachi and Bepo decided to cook."

"Shachi?" Neo raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Penguin drawled. "We better go save our lunch if we wanna eat."

Neo laughed as they left the room. They made it into the galley just as whatever was cooking in a frying pan caught fire. Shachi shrieked as he grabbed the pan and threw it into the sink. "That was close."

"You're supposed to get better at cooking the more you do it, not worse," Penguin chuckled.

"Very funny," Shachi frowned.

"Why don't I take over?" Neo asked.

"Thank you," Shachi's arms hung low as he was grateful to be relieved from this current disaster. Corazon reached out for the man. Shachi smiled and plucked the boy from Neo's arms. While Penguin and Neo worked with Bepo, Neo summoned her wings and flicked them a few times.

"Your wings feeling a bit stiff?" Bepo asked.

"Yeah," Neo nodded. "I haven't used them for some time."

"Maybe you should fly some when we dock later," Bepo suggested.

"That's probably a good idea," Neo nodded.

A little while later, the crew and Isleen wondered into the galley for lunch. Isleen only glanced at Neo once before sitting down. The woman remained quiet as the crew chatted while they ate. Neo cast a glance at her. Something felt off. Corazon's yawning drew Neo's attention back to him. Law had a damp rag and was cleaning off Corazon's messy face. "Sometimes I think he gets more on him than in him."

Neo chuckled. "Especially when he's trying to fall asleep while eating. I guess our boy wants a nap now. I'll take him."

Law nodded as Neo picked up their son. She snuggled him agains her chest while walking out of the room. Law was about to stand up himself when he noticed Isleen was watching Neo carefully. He grunted. "You're off this ship as soon as we dock."

"I figured as much," Isleen replied. Law studied her carefully to see what her reaction would be. He didn't get one. Isleen's expression remained neutral.

Law wasn't sure why, but her lack of reaction bugged him. He shook it off. It didn't matter. Soon this stranger would be off their ship and out of their lives. He stood up and left the room.

…

Neo hummed a soft song as she rocked Corazon in her arms. She made sure he was fast asleep before laying him down in his crib. She lend against the railing, stroking his cheek and watched him sleep. She grabbed ahold of the railing to keep herself from falling backwards when the sub suddenly tilted with a loud thump. "What the heck was that?"

She then felt the sub rising to the surface. She looked at Corazon. The disturbance didn't bother him as he continued to sleep. She looked down at the legs of the crib. She had never been so grateful that Law had bolted down the crib to the floor than she was in that moment.

Another jolt of the sub pulled her from her thoughts. She turned and tried to run out of the room. More hits against the sub caused the need of using her wings. She snapped them out and lifted herself into the air. She went right to the control room. "What's happening?!"

"Two sea kings snakes are attacking!" A crew mate replied as he continued to guide the sub upward.

"What do you mean?" Neo asked. "I don't sense any sea kings near by."

"Well, there are two of them out there. The captain's already headed to the deck to deal with them," The crew mate said. Neo whipped around and headed for the deck.

…

Law narrowed his eyebrows and pulled out his sword. Penguin, Shachi and Bepo were looking over the railing. Bepo pointed into the water. "They're coming up, Captain!"

Just as the words left the bear's mouth, two large snakes rose up from the ocean. Law circled his hand. "Room!"

Neo emerged from the sub just as Law sliced them up. Shachi and Penguin cheered. "Way to go, Captain!"

"Law!" Neo called out to him as she flew over.

"Neo, how's Cora? Is he safe?" Law asked.

"Yes," Neo nodded. "But those things aren't real."

"What do you mean?" Shachi asked. He casted a glance at them divided snakes floating in the water. "They look real to me."

"But they're not," Neo replied. "They don't have any life in them."

Law narrowed his eyebrows. Bepo's shrieking pulled their attention. "Captain! Their disappearing!"

Law and Neo walked over to the edge and looked down. Piece by piece the snakes were disappearing from the water. Neo narrowed her eyebrows and took a harder look at them. A startled gasp left her lips. "They're…They're magic."

"What?!" Law all but hissed.

"They were created by magic," Neo said as color drained from her face. She lifted her head. When she made eye contacted with Law her bad feeling passed to him. "C-Cora…"

Neo snapped out her wings and took off back to their room with the others following close behind her. She jolted to a sudden halt when she passed through the door. She dropped to her feet as her hands shot up to her mouth. Standing there, across the room, was Isleen.

Neo felt like she was going to be sick. Isleen had Corazon in her arms. She had her left hand hovering over Corazon's sleeping body. Her hand was hovered over a strange dark glowing orb that seemed to be sucking Corazon's magic out of his body and into it. Neo's stomach turned.

"You!" Law hissed. Neo didn't even hear him and the boys coming into the room. "Let our son go!"

"Now, now," Isleen purred. She brought Corazon closer to her face and kissed his forehead. "You'll wake the baby."

Neo clenched her fists. Everyone one of her crystals appeared in the room. Their respective elements gathered around the crystals, threatening to lash out at Isleen. The woman just smirk, undisturbed of their appearance. "Calm down, _Princess_. We don't want to do anything that will cause harm to your precious little boy."

Neo instantly banished her crystals. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "What do you want? Why are you doing this?"

"I really don't want anything," Isleen said. Her face then curled into pure hatred as she looked into Neo's eyes. "But to make you suffer."

"But why? What did Neo ever do to you? She _saved_ you!" Shachi hissed. Penguin glanced at the man then carefully slid a foot away from him and locked his eyes onto Isleen.

"You can't technically _save_ someone when they purposefully put themselves in a situation like I was in," Isleen smiled.

"You set us up?" Bepo asked. He bared his teeth at the woman.

"You better explain yourself," Law hissed. He raised the pointed the tip of his sword towards Isleen's throat.

"I don't have to explain myself to a lowly human," Isleen hissed back. "This is between me and _her_."

"I…I don't understand!" Neo stuttered. She was trying her best to compose herself. "What did I do to you?! We've never met before!"

"Well, it was your people I have a grudge against. And you are an Elemental, a royal one at that," Isleen looked at Neo with such distant. "I couldn't have planned this any better. My revenge is going to be sweeter than I thought."

Law stepped between the two women. "Don't you dare touch her! Give us back our son!"

"Sorry, Doctor Pirate," Isleen kissed Corazon's forehead again, make Neo's stomach spin. "I need your son's magic to replenish my still depleted magic. I'm still a bit low and my subjects are waiting for me."

"Subjects?" Shachi asked. "Why is your magic depleted? Tell us what's happening!"

"I will not answer to you lowly humans _or_ to a magic creature who allied with them. _You_ have betrayed us twice now, _Princess_ ," The small group gasped when a portal opened up behind Isleen. She started to back up into it. "Farewell!"

"No!" Neo cried. Before anyone could do anything, Penguin bolted towards Isleen. He grabbed Corazon and slammed his shoulder into Isleen. The woman stumbled back as Penguin ran towards the others.

"I will not be denied!" Isleen hissed. She regained her balance and shot out her hand. A burst of magic exploded from her hand. It engulfed Penguin.

"Neo!" Penguin shouted while holding out Corazon. Neo grabbed their baby, pressed him to her chest then grabbed ahold of Penguin's arm when his body was pulled backwards by Isleen. "Let go, Neo!"

"No!" Neo shouted. Shachi and Bepo grabbed onto Penguin while Law put his arm around Neo's waist. Isleen growled and her magic exploded. With another tug, Penguin was pulled from their grip and into the portal with Isleen. Neo dropped to her knees and held Corazon tightly to her chest. "No! Penguin!"

"Penguin!" Shachi and Bepo cried as they dove for the portal. But they weren't fast enough. Just as they were about to reach it, it disappeared along with Penguin.

Law kneeled down and put his arm around Neo's shoulder. He didn't even bother to sheath his sword. Neo shook as she mumbled hysterically. "Penguin…S...She took...Penguin."

"He will be fine," Law said softly even though he wasn't so sure himself. He placed his hand on Corazon's head and noticed their son was cool to the touch. A lot colder than he should have been.

"Something's wrong with Corazon," Neo said, seeming to have noticed at the same time Law did. "He's cold."

"She said she was taking his magic," Law replied. "And Cora's element is fire."

Neo nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks. She summoned a couple fire crystals to try and warm their son up. "His magic is fire. That must be why he's cold. Magic…Our magic is a part of us. I-I don't know what to do. H-He…His lips are blue. Law, what do we do?"

Law flinched when she looked at him. He didn't have a clue. This was a magic issue. All of his medical experience wasn't going to help with this.

…

 **Author's Notes: Cliff hanger was unavoidable for this one. I'm seriously gonna have to figure out a story where Neo doesn't get torture. :/ The poor baby.**


	39. Another Problem

Another Problem

"It's not working," Neo sniffed. The air in the room was painfully thick. The crew stood helplessly around the room. A couple were still inspecting the area where Penguin disappeared through Isleen's portal. They knew it was fruitless, but still kept looking. "Law, it's not working. He's not getting warmer. What do we do? What do we do?"

Corazon's body was growing colder. And his lips had turned blue.

Law's chest tightened so hard he felt like his heart was going to explode. He couldn't breath. Their son was in trouble and there was nothing he could do to help. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He was trying to hard to figure something. To figure out what to say to Neo. He was supposed to be able to comfort her. He was the rock in their relationship. But now…He felt so helpless, so useless, so weak.

"Princess!" A familiar voice shootout, cutting through the tension in the room. Everyone looked up to see Elian standing in the room.

"Who the heck are you?!" A couple crew mates demanded as their bodies shifted into defense mode.

"What are you doing here?!"

"Are you with that woman?!"

"Elian?" Shachi cried out in shock. He bolted between his crew mates and Elian. He held out his hands to stop his friends. "Everyone, wait! He's not an enemy!"

"What are you doing here?" Law questioned. He looked down at Neo. She didn't seem to register their friend's arrival. She just held on tightly to Corazon and cried.

"We're here to help. We saw what happened," Elian replied. He walked over to Neo and Law and kneeled down. He placed his hand on Neo's shoulder. "Princess? I need you to focus. I have something here that can help your child."

When Neo didn't show any signs of hearing him, Law pulled her closer to him and kissed her temple. "Love, come back to me now. Elian's here. He can help Cora."

Neo lifted her cloudy eyes to Law. "Cora's…"

"I know. Look here. It's Elian," Law said again while nodding towards their friend. Neo followed Law's gaze.

"E-Elian?" Neo stuttered.

"Yes, Princess," Elian smiled sweetly at her. He held up a small round disk. It was grayish blue with a light green outline. "This can help your son. With your permission, I'd like to place it on his forehead."

"It will help?" Neo asked softly.

"It will," Elian nodded.

"Help him…Please," Neo nodded slightly.

Elian then placed the disk on Corazon's forehead. When he pulled back his hand, the disk stayed in place and the green outline started glowing. The glow radiated over his tiny body. They all waited, breaths held, bodies tense. Less than a minute later the blue in Corazon's lips faded some. "He's stabilizing, Princess."

"He'll be okay?" Neo asked. Her eyes rose to Elian's.

"It will take some time, but yes. Your son will be fine now. This disk is an incubator. It will help regenerate his magic while giving him nutrients as he sleeps in this suspended state," Elian looked at Neo then at Law. Neo released a small sigh of relief and hugged Corazon.

"Now will you tell us what's going on?" Law asked as he tightened his hold on Neo.

"Empress Futura will arrive any moment with the answers that you all have," Elian said.

"You mean you don't know?" Shachi asked. "Where's your sister? I figured she'd come as well."

"She wanted to. She's worried about you all too," Elian ran his hand through his hair. "But she decided to stay behind to she can act as a beacon so the empress and I can return to the Time Stream without problems."

"Beacon? You didn't need to do that before," Bepo blinked in confusion.

"Yeah, well, with everything that's happening on your planet, we're worried it's going to start to effect our world too," Elian sighed.

"What do you mean?" Bepo asked

"I guess you haven't notice," Elian dragged his eyes over them all. He then held out his hand. An orb appeared hovering above his palm. The crew gathered close and watched as images began to play on the orb.

"What's going on? Is this some kind of weird play or something?" A crew mate asked as he started at the twisted images before him. Buildings, terrain, plants, were meshed together. Like someone has shoved it all in a bender.

"This is _your_ world," Elian replied.

"What?!" The crew shrieked. "What do you mean?!"

"That's what the Empress is trying to find out. She's speaking with the elders of the Time Stream," Elian banished the orb with a frustrated huff. "The only things I know is these creatures were thought to be just a myth."

"What creatures?" Law asked.

"Reality Warpers," Elian narrowed his eyebrows.

"Reality Warpers? What are they?" A crew mate asked.

"They are the cause of all this," Empress Futura said when she popped into the room. She turned a sympathetic smile to Neo and Law. "I am so sorry. If I had known that they were real, I would have posted guards at their prison."

"Prison?" Law narrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I am still unsure of specific details, but, apparently, centuries ago, Reality Warpers turned their magic on everyone in the known universes. They can, as their name suggests, warp reality. I suppose the best way to describe it would be like being in a dream state. Where you can control reality yet break the barriers of reality. And anyone can use this ability whether they're magical or not," Futura crossed her arms and looked around at everyone. They all held confused glances. She sighed. "Elian, an example please."

"Yes, ma'am," Elian nodded then closed his eyes and concentrated. The crew gasped when hundreds of goldfish appeared in Law and Neo's room. They swam around like they were still in water.

"What's happening?!" Bepo shrieked. "How is this possible?!"

"This is what Reality Warpers do. They effect reality, but others, even those without magic, can manipulate the world around them. Supposedly this can only be done when a person is aware of the ability, but it mostly it happens when people are dreaming. They're dreams can become real while they remain unaware of it. And they can hurt or kill you," Futura explained.

"But what does this have to do with us?" Law demanded.

"According to the elders, it was an Elemental Royal who imprisoned the Warpers many centuries ago," Futura said as gently as she could. "That woman, Isleen, is the Warper Queen."

"That's why Isleen targeted Neo? Because she's a royal?" Shachi asked.

"Yes," Futura nodded. "Grudges, revenge, are powerful tools. And, I do not wish to alarm you, young princess, but, she's gone after your people as well."

Neo gasped.

"I've sent several of my guards to try and free your home, but no one can find it," Futura sighed.

Neo opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Law asked for her. "What do you mean, 'No one can find it'?"

"Like I already said, Reality Warpers, warp reality. Basically, bits and pieces of Luminous are scattered all over the world. The heart of Luminous should still be in place, however. I believe the Warper Queen will set up her base there because of the history between her and the Elementals," Futura explained. "She's probably imprisoned and drained your peoples magic already. And I'm sure she's waiting for you to come to her so you two can fight."

"This is insane!" A crew mate shouted.

"Wait," Shachi said. "If they can warp reality, doesn't that mean people from the past can come to the future? Or can we be sent to the past?"

"Yes," Futura nodded. "I'm afraid so."

"Pendulum," Law hissed.

"I've already put several number of special trained guards on Pendulum. I guarantee he will not bother the princess," Futura said with determination. "I won't let her go through that again. In truth, this is actually Pendulum's fault."

"What do you mean?" Bepo asked. "He's dead, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's dead. We're sure of that. Thanks to you all. It's because of what Pendulum did when he took the princess. By trying to reshape your world, he opened the prison where the Warpers were being held. And please, don't as me to explain where their prison is. It's kind of between dimensions, yet on in your world. It's very confusing," Futura waved her hand as if to dismiss the subject. "My people are working on cuffs to neutralize Warpers magic and teleport them to my dungeon until they can be properly locked up again. I really hate to ask you this, especially with the condition your baby is in, but we really need your help. We need as many people as we can get to help. We have no idea how many Warpers are out there. My army can't handle them all."

Everyone went silent as they turned to Neo and Law. Law looked at them before dropping his gaze to Neo. "Neo?"

"We don't have a choice," Neo said after an intense pause. She didn't look at them. She just kept her eyes closed and her voice low. "She attacked my family. She's endangered our son. She attacked my home island, imprisoned my people. She took Penguin. I want him back. I want my brother back."

"We'll help," Law said to Futura.

"How will we find Luminous if it's scattered all over the world?" A crew mate asked.

"The Princess will be able to sense her home. It's an instinct. All magical creatures can do it," Futura replied. "If we move quickly, we should be able to put a stop to all of this before to much damage is done. The Warpers are weak due to being locked up for so long. That's why she tried to take your son's magic. She'll use your people to replenish her magic as well as her peoples. But I believe once she is defeated their magic will return to their rightful wielders. The cuffs, you'll be using, haven't been finished yet, but should be within a couple of hours. Until then, I suggest you work on sensing where your home island is. And there is one more thing, Princess…"

Neo looked up at the empress when she hesitated. Futura gulped. "I know this is going to be very difficult for you, but, for the safety of your son, I'd like to take him with us back to my palace."

"What?!" Neo tightened her hold on their son. "Why?!"

"For his protection, Princess," Elian said, taking over the explaining for his empress since Neo knew him longer. "Right now, Isleen hasn't made it to our world yet. It'll be safer for your son to rest there. You have a lot to handle right now. Keeping your son safe here will cause you unnecessary trouble."

Neo shook her head. She tried to speak, but couldn't. She turned to Law. Law sighed. He weight the options they had and what had already happen. With a heavy, heavy sigh, he nodded. He knew what needed to be done. And he had to make the tough decision for them all. "He's right. We are going to be clashing with so many enemies from this point on. And we are going to be facing Isleen and her people…Our son isn't safe here."

Neo bit her lip and cried. Law kissed her hair. "Love, I know this is hard. But we need to do what's best for Cora. We have to focus on defeating Isleen and her people."

After a minute, Neo nodded. Elian hesitated before speaking up again. "Princess, Velocity and I are staying at the castle to guard your son. We won't let anything happen to him. We will keep him safe. Here…"

Elian reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin golden compact on a golden chain. He flipped it open to reveal a mirror on the top side and a grey screen on the bottom side. The mirror showed a crib in a room that looked like a hospital. "This will show you your son anytime you want to see him. He will remain in this spot. The bottom screen there will tell you how your son is doing. If anything happens, we can alert you through this compact."

Law took the compact from Elian then looked at Neo again. He stroked her hair. "Love?"

"I know, I know," Neo whispered. "We have to say goodbye for now. We'll be with him again. He'll be fine. He'll be fine."

She stroked Corazon's cheek, more tears dripped down her face. Law placed his hand on their son's head. "Be strong, son. We'll be with you again soon."

Neo continued to hold their son as the crew took turns in stepping forward and saying their goodbyes, be strong, or whatever they felt they should say. Some said nothing. With all the strength she could possible summon, Neo passed their son over to Elian. He gave her a sympathetic smile. "I promise, we _will_ take care of him. He _will_ be safe."

Neo could only nod. Law pulled her to his chest as Elian stood up and joined his empress. Futura glanced at them all once last time. "I will send you the cuffs the second they are finished."

With that, the two disappeared with Corazon. The crew remained standing around. No one knew what to say. No one knew what to do. Law kept his hold on Neo as he ran his eyes over the crew. "You all should prepare for battle."

"Right, Captain," They replied.

…

 **Author's Notes: Sorry for the cliff hanger last chapter. I'll try to not do that anymore. And I'll try to make the chapters longer from this point on. I just needed to get the set up over. If something's not clear, just asked. I tried to make it as clear as possible, but not sure if I did it.**


	40. Fractured

Fractured

"How's he doing?" Velocity asked once her brother and Empress Futura returned to the palace. She rushed over to them and looked down at Corazon. She placed her hand on his head gently. The baby didn't stir at all to the touch. "You poor baby."

"He's fine," Elian replied. "I'm more worried about the princess. She's still so fragile."

"But she has gotten a lot stronger," Velocity said, still looking at Corazon. "And she's with her family this time. She's not alone. Don't you worry, baby boy. Your parents are very strong. They'll take care of that horrible woman then you'll be reunited with them soon. You just focus on getting better yourself. We're here to protect you now. You'll be fine. Your family will be fine."

"Right," Elian nodded. He walked Corazon over to the crib that he was going to occupy while in their care. He laid Corazon on the bed and pulled up the railing for safety.

"Well, since our special little guest in now in your capable hands, I'm going to see if I can get a rush put on the cuffs," Empress Futura said.

"Yes, your majesty," Elian and Velocity bowed their heads. Empress Futura nodded then disappeared from the room. The two then turned back to Corazon and settled into their positions to watch over their little charges.

…

Several minutes had passed since the crew exited their captain and Neo's quarters. The two remaining were still on the floor. Law had no clue what he could say to make her feel better. So he just remained quiet, trying to will his strength into her through their touches. "Neo…"

"I can't," Neo whispered almost too low. She shook her head. "I can't…sense anything. I can't sense my people. I can't sense my home island. Nothing. It's not there. It's just gone. I can't do this. Not with Cora…Penguin…I can't…I can't…"

"Neo, stop it," Law gently reprimanded her. "You need t-"

"It's my fault!" Neo screamed. She pushed away from Law and stood up. She walked only a couple feet before dropping back to the floor. She repeatedly pounded her fists on the floor of their room. "It's my fault! It's all my fault!"

"Neo, stop it!" Law rushed over to her and grabbed Neo's shoulders. "Why are you saying that?!"

"Because it is my fault! _I'm_ the one who got pregnant! _I'm_ the one who's an Elemental royal! _Our son_ was taken because of _me_! If I didn't get pregnant this wouldn't have happened! Our son, Penguin, my people, the entire world is in danger because of me! This is all my fault!"

"Enough! Look at me!" Law tightened his hold on her shoulders. When she didn't respond to him, he said something he hadn't said in a long time. "Neo, I _order_ you to look at me!"

Neo twitched beneath his hold, but obey his order like always. She raised her red, tear filled eyes to him. Law flinched when she looked at him. He felt guilty about having to order her around again, especially in this kind of situation, but knew it was necessary. He took a deep breath and slowly released it then cupped her face in both his hands. "Love, please stop this. Don't blame yourself. You have done nothing wrong. This isn't your fault at all."

"But our son…Penguin…Isleen…I was the one who said she could stay…My fault…all my-"

"No, Neo," Law shook his head. "This is not your fault. No one knew this would happen. Getting pregnant wasn't your fault either. That was a combined occurrence. You do remember the lessons I taught you, right? _We_ made _our_ son, _together_ , as husband and wife."

"But I'm the one she's-" Law cut her off by placing his lips on hers. He kissed her deeply for as long as he could. Neo grabbed a hold of his shirt and kissed him back. He could feel her desperation in needing his strength. So he kissed her for as long as their lungs would allow. Law broke the kiss and pants a few times, pecked her lips then spoke again.

"Neo, you listen to me, focus on my voice and my words, _you_ have done absolutely _nothing_ wrong. _Isleen_ is responsible for her own actions. We _will_ take her down. We _will_ save our son, Penguin, your people and the entire world. Do you understand me?"

"Law, I don't. I don't know how. I don't know how to process any of this. I'm scared. I'm so scared," Neo whispered as she pressed her forehead to Law's chest and clenched his shirt. "With everything I've been through…this is…I've never been so scared before. Why? Why do I feel like this? Why is it so different from all the other times I've been scared?"

Law nodded and started to stroke her hair again. "I know. I understand how you feel. It's because of Cora. You love him so much and he's in trouble and there's nothing we can immediately do to help him. It's natural that we feel like this. It's part of having a child. I'm scared as well."

Neo sniffed and looked at him. "You…You're scared?"

Law nodded. Neo blinked in confusion. "But…You're the strong one. You're always together. You never panic over anything."

"In some cases, that's true," Law pressed his lips to her forehead. "But…when it comes to you and Cora…I can become just as scared as you get. I loose my calm composure and panic. You two are the world to me. You know I don't like it when either of you are hurting. And right now, you're both in pain and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I always feel helpless when you are hurting, but I will be strong for you. I'm here, okay? I'm right here. We'll get through this. Together. Just like we always do. Okay?"

Neo nodded and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. She took a deep breath and released it. "Let's get started then. I need to find out how t-"

"No," Law shook his head.

"What?"

"You're too upset to focus right now," Law took her hands and pulled her to her feet. He then guided her over to their bed. He kicked off his shoes, laid down and pulled her onto the bed with him. He wrapped her into his arms and kissed her forehead. "We are going to take a nap."

"But, Law…"

"No arguing, love. You can't focus right now. A nap will help clear your mind," Law reached for then held up the compact Elian gave them. "You want to see how Cora's doing?"

Neo rubbed her right eye and nodded. He flipped it open. Less than a second passed and Cora appeared in the mirror. He was laying in the crib Elian had shown them and was sleeping peacefully. Elian and Velocity were standing guard like Elian said they would be. The words 'He's still stabilized' scrolled across the bottom. Law squeezed Neo. "See? He's fine."

Neo nodded. While they watched their son, Neo's hand slid up Law's shirt. She clenched a hold of it tightly. Law bit his bottom lip. She hadn't done this action in such a long time. He let her take the compact with her free hand and wrapped his arms securely around her. While he held her, he could feel she was finally drifting off to sleep. When her body went limp against his, he sighed, grateful that she fell asleep so easily despite all the trauma they've just went through. He kissed her hair then closed his own eyes.

…

"I can sense it," Neo said. Her eyes were closed in concentration. She opened her eyes and looked at Law. They were still in their bed, his arms still protectively around her. She now wore the compact around her neck. "It's faint, but there's a piece of Luminous on an island about two hours east of here."

Law nodded and kissed her temple. "We'll head right for it. We should also get you something to eat. You ready to get up now?"

"I guess," Neo said then followed him off their bed. Law immediately put his arm back around her shoulders and led her out of their room.

Before heading for the galley, they stopped off at the control room. Law gave the crew mate the direction he was to take the sub in. "Aye, Captain."

They then left that room and headed for the galley. Before they even got there, their noses were met with the smells of food. He tightened his hold on her when they stepped into the galley and she flinched at the memories of cooking with Penguin. "I'm fine."

They weren't sure who cooked, but there was a small variety of dishes sitting out on the table, obvious left overs. The crew was gathered around, shrouded in a somber cloud. Law sat down and pulled Neo onto his lap. He wanted to keep her close. To give her the security he knew she needed right now and for his own security needs. No one said anything as they ate quietly. Law fed himself and Neo.

After they finished eating, Law pulled Neo into the rec. room. He sat down with her on the couch and continued to hold her close. She opened up the compact again. Law knew she'd check on their son often. They sat quietly, watching Corazon sleep, watching Elian and Velocity watch over him. "Captain?"

"Hm?" Law pulled his eyes from the compact and looked at Shachi.

"This just arrived," Shachi opened the bag he was holding. "It's from Empress Futura. It's the cuffs. There's also a note saying that this bag will automatically fill back up when we need more cuffs."

"All right," Law nodded. "How much longer until we reach the island?"

"About thirty-five minutes," Shachi replied.

…

"This is just so…weird," A crew mate said. They all were standing on the deck and staring out at the island. All of the buildings, trees, rocks were now organic shaped. There were also tall tree like lollipops sticking out of the island.

"Hm," Law hummed as he looked around. He narrowed his eyebrows when his eyes landed on a Navy ship. "The Navy's here. Neo, stay close."

"Right," Neo nodded while grabbing a hold of Law's arm. The crew then disembarked from the ship. They made their way inland and looked around. It was obvious that the islanders were in a panic.

"What's going on?!" An old man shouted. "I just took a nap and woke up to _this_!"

"But I want candy!" A kid cried as his mom drug him away from one of the lollipop trees.

"No! We have no idea where that came from!" His mom hissed. "It could be poisoned for all we know!"

"You have to do something!" A woman cried as she clung to a soldier's shirt.

"Calm down now, all of you," A soldier pleaded. The crowd surrounding the soldiers moved in closer on them, demanding to know what was going on. "Please! Calm down!"

"Oh no!" Another soldier said when he noticed the Heart Pirates. Neo tightened her hold on Law's arm. "Look, we don't have time for the likes of _you_. The whole entire world has gone insane. Just stay out of our way!"

"Well, that wasn't normal," Bepo blinked as the Navy just ignored them and tried to calm down the islanders.

"I guess with all of this Warper mess the Navy doesn't have time to deal with pirates," Shachi said. He adjusted the strap of the bag of cuffs he was carrying.

"Good," Law nodded. "We'll be able to handle this easier without their interruptions."

"That'll also give other pirates more freedom to run wild too," A crew mate pointed out. "We need to be extra careful."

"Well, this is causing us problems so, at the very least, maybe it'll cause other pirates problems too so they won't cause much trouble for us or anyone else," Another crew mate said.

"What are we going to do if we run into other pirates?" Bepo asked.

"If they're potential allies, we could ask them to help us," Shachi said. "The more we have helping to deal with the Warpers, the quicker we can resolve this problem."

The crew started to walk again. They followed Neo's lead as she led them to the area of the island that felt like Luminous. She led them up to a small group of trees. She placed her one of her hands on a tree and closed her eyes. She reopened her eyes and looked at her crew. "I was right. These trees are a part of Luminous. But it's just a small fraction. And I don't sense any of my people here."

"What about the Warpers? How are we even supposed to find them?" A crew mate asked.

"I should be able to sense them. They should pretty much feel like Isleen does," Neo replied, her eyes slowly dragging over the area to make sure she didn't miss anything. "We should move on now. There's nothing here."

Law nodded then started to guide her back towards the sub. While walking, a crew mate hesitantly broke the silence. "I have a question that's been bothering me, but I'm kinda afraid to ask it."

"Just ask. How bad could it be?" Shachi asked.

"Well, since Pendulum can came back," The crew mate started. He swallowed hard before continuing. "It would also mean that Doflamingo…"

Law's eyes widened as his arms locked Neo into a tight embrace. The crew mate ducked his head. "Sorry. I wasn't trying to…"

"Don't worry about it," Law then said. He looked down at Neo. She turned her eyes up to him. "I should have thought of it before. Of course he could come back. But I won't let him touch you."

"We're still messing with time here, aren't we?" Neo asked softly. Law could only nod in response to her question. They were still messing with time. Only now they were racing time to save their son, Penguin, the Elementals, the entire planet.

"Hey, what's that?" Another crew mate asked. They all turned to see him pointing out to sea. It was still a fair distance from them, but it was clear as could be. Sticking out of the ocean, was a gigantic piece of meat.

"Why is there meat sticking out of the ocean? That wasn't there before," A crew mate asked. He raised his hand over his eyes like it would give him a better view of what he was looking at. "Am I seeing things or is there someone climbing all over that thing and eating it?"

"Oh great," Law sighed, already knowing who they were about to meet up with.

"Luffy," Neo tilted her head.

"Well, he would be the one to dream of something like that. And since we can now manipulate the world with our minds…," Shachi huffed. "Should we go check it out, Captain? Empress Futura said they need all the help they can get to fix this mess. The Straw Hats are good for helping us at least."

Law grumbled under his breath. Neo looked at him. "We can't just leave them in the dark about this. Especially since we're this close."

"I know," Law mumbled. "I know. Let's just get this over with."

"Aye, Captain!" The crew shouted. They all hurried back to their sub and headed for the Straw Hat's ship.

"Luffy's really not going to be happy about any of this," Neo said softly. "I'm kinda afraid to tell them that this happened."

"Yeah," Law nodded. "He always gets so angry when one of his friends are in danger. And, this time, it's Cora, Penguin, the Elementals that's in trouble. He's going to be furious. At least he'll help us. The Straw Hats are good allies."

"They are," Neo nodded.


	41. Meat Dream

Meat Dream

Chopper twitched uncomfortably against the mass of the Sunny. He trailed his eyes over his friends and twitched some more. Nami, noticing all of his twitching, walked over to him. "What's wrong, Chopper? You've been very agitated all day."

"I don't know," Chopper replied. He looked around at all of their friends again. Usopp was fiddling with some project, Franky was working on himself, Luffy was on the verge of falling asleep, Brook was playing his violin, Zoro had a couple weights out, Sanji -with Celeste on his shoulder- just walked out onto the deck with drinks for everyone and Robin was reading a book. "Something just doesn't feel right."

"How so?" Robin asked as she put her book down and walked over to join them.

"I wish I knew," Chopper sighed. "I just feel like somethings wrong. And I've been worried about Neo and the Heart Pirates lately too."

"Maybe you just ate something that upset your stomach," Usopp said.

"Are you insinuating my food is making him sick?" Sanji glared at Usopp.

"Of course not," Usopp waved his hands. "I was just saying that-"

"Chopper's right," Celeste said, cutting off the sniper. Sanji turned his attention to the little sprite on his shoulder. "Something's wrong. There's a dark magic in the air. It's doing something to the planet. It's been doing it for a while now too. It was hard to detect at first, but now it's obvious."

"Magic?" Sanji asked. Celeste looked at him and nodded.

"Meeeeeat," Luffy sang as he fell over onto his side and snored. Just as the words trailed out of Luffy's mouth, a large piece of meat rose up out of the ocean and parts of the Sunny started to turn into meat as well.

"What the heck is going on with my ship?!" Franky demanded. He jumped to his feet when a piece of meat rose up out of the floor of the Sunny.

"Is Sunny turning into meat?" Usopp asked.

"Meat!" Luffy shouted and his eyes snapped open. He dove for a piece of meat on the Sunny. Franky stepped in his way and grabbed the captain. "Let me go! I want meat!"

"No way!" Franky replied, struggling to hold his captain back. "I have no idea what's going on, but that's part of the Sunny! You're not eating my ship!"

"Meat! Meat!" Luffy started to slip out of Franky's grip.

"Then go eat that one!" Franky took Luffy, spun him around and threw him onto the large piece of meat that came up from the ocean.

"This is very strange," Robin said, inspecting the meat on the Sunny. "How is this possible?"

"Magical creature," Celeste said while looking around the ship carefully. "Someone's here. Someone who doesn't belong."

"Huh?" Sanji looked at her again.

"I feel someone. They have magic. They somehow made this happen," Celeste replied then dove into Sanji's shirt. She poked her head back out. "It's scary."

"Luffy! Hey! Luffy! Get back down here!" Zoro shouted. "We have a problem! Are you listening to me?!"

"I don't think he can hear you," Brook said. He tilted his head. "Is it just me, or does our beloved captain look like he's still asleep?"

"Now that you mention it," Nami rubbed her chin. "He does look like he's asleep. I thought he woke up a minute ago."

"Sanji! There's someone aboard the ship!" Celeste cried out again. "They're causing this! Make it stop! Make it stop!"

The crew, but for Luffy, frozen when they all then felt a dark presence on the ship. Something shot out and slammed Zoro against the wall. He pushed back against it. Looking down he found it was a fairly big piece of meat. "What the heck?! How can meat attack?"

"We're getting attacked by food?" Usopp asked. "That's stupid. What harm could that do?"

Just then two sharp bones lodged themselves into the floor right beside Usopp's foot. He squealed. "Forget I asked!"

"Luffy!" Usopp turned to the giant piece of meat. "Will you wake up and get down here?! Get down here, now! We have a problem! A serious problem!"

"Yummy! Num! Num!" Luffy didn't hear Usopp and continued to rapidly chomping on the meat he was climbing all over.

"He's useless," Zoro said while slicing up several pieces of meat that kept firing at him. "Just forget him for now."

"How are we supposed to fight lunch? Thunder Bolt!" Nami asked. She fried some of the flying meat, but it did nothing but cook them. "This isn't working!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" An unfamiliar voice laughed. "I don't believe this! I've always heard that humans were pathetic, but this is just beyond pathetic! You can't even handle a little meat like this? Our queen is going to love ruling over you all!"

"Who's that speaking? Where are they? Does anyone see them?" Brook asked.

"I don't see anyone, but I can sense them," Chopper replied. "They're not friendly either."

"You think?!" Sanji said. He kicked multiple pieces of meat. "This is such a waste of food. Come out and face me, you coward!"

"I'm not the one wasting food," The voice said. "I didn't create this at all. That guy with black hair did."

"Luffy did this?" Robin asked. She had her arms crossed over her chest. She called out multiple arms and hands to grab onto the meat flying around.

"There's no point in trying to explain it to you all," The voice laughed. "I can tell you're all not that smart. You wouldn't understand!"

"This guy is really starting to tick me off!" Zoro growled. "Just face us all ready! What kind of coward are you?!"

…

"We're almost there!" A crew mate shouted.

"Good," Law nodded.

"Law, something's wrong," Law turned his eyes to Neo. She was concentrating on the space in front of her. "There's someone on the Straw Hats ship that feels like Isleen did. They're under attack."

"We've arrived! We're going up!" The crew mate shouted again.

Neo and Law headed for the door as the crew mate guided the ship up to the surface. The second they were above the water, Law opened the door and they stepped out with a few crew mates in tow. Law warped them onto the Sunny. They all went wide eyed when they found the Straw Hats dodging several pieces of meats and bones.

"Hey!" Sanji said then kicked a piece of meat away from him. "Neo! Law!"

"Huh?" The Straw Hats glanced over at the newly arrived crew before going back to dodging meat. Suddenly the meat froze in midair.

"There!" Neo shouted and pointed up to the lion head of the Sunny. Everyone looked to where she was pointing. Standing there, with an amused grin, was a dark skinned, black haired creature with slightly pointed ears and sharp canines. He was wearing a raggedly torn, brown shorts and a golden bands around his ankles. His limbs and fingers were long and spindly.

"I guess the fun is over," He said. He then jumped down to the deck of the ship. He looked Neo up and down with mild interest. "So, you're the one, huh? The one our queen is torturing?"

Law growled and stepped in front of Neo. "Stay away from her."

"I suppose so. I'm not strong enough to take you all on," The creature grin then bend his knees. He pushed off the floor and bounced off several parts of the Sunny like a ball. Neo summoned her wind crystals and trapped the creature in a vortex. He began to glow. His glow pushed against the winds. "Hey! Let go of me, brat!"

"I can't hold him for long!" Neo said.

"Shachi!" Law shouted.

"On it!" Shachi reached into the bag he was carrying and pulled out a pair of the cuffs. He then dropped the bag and allow Neo to lift him into the air with her winds. Once high enough, he slapped the cuffs on the creature's wrists and dropped back down to the floor. Neo kept the Warper in her winds until he vanished from the area. "Did it work?"

"I believe so," Neo said seconds before all the meat started to disappear, returning the Sunny to normal. Everyone looked to Luffy when he cried out. The young pirate fell into the ocean.

"Can we leave him down there?" Zoro asked. The Straw Hats exchanged thoughtful looks then sighed, knowing they didn't have the heart to actually do so.

"I've got him," Neo announced. She summoned her water crystals and pulled Luffy back upon the ship. She laid Luffy down on the floor. Sanji stepped up to the unconscious teen and pressed his foot onto his chest, causing Luffy spewed out a fountain of water.

"Neo!" Chopped cried as he ran over to Neo. He leaped into her arms. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"It's good to see you too," Neo said, but her voice wasn't happy.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Chopper looked up at Neo. Neo sighed as tears gathered in her eyes. "Something happened, did it? I've been thinking about you a lot lately. And I've been worried!"

"Yeah," Neo nodded, trying to hold back her tears. Law placed his arm around her shoulders. "Something has happened."

"What happened?" Nami asked as dread settled over the crew. "Where's Corazon?!"

Neo pulled Chopper into a teary hug while Law pulled her closer to his side. He then looked out at the concerned faces of the Straw Hats, but for Luffy who was still laying on the deck unconscious. With a heavy sigh, Law told them what happened. By the time he finished, the Straw Hats stood around stunned and angry.

"That's…That's terrible," Robin said as she and Nami rushed forward to hug Neo. It was a bit awkward with Chopper still in her arms and Law refusing to release her.

"You poor baby," Nami said, stroking Neo's hair.

"Pretty Princess sad," Celeste flew over and landed on Neo's head. "She needs a soothing cup of tea. Cutie?"

"I'm on it," Sanji nodded. He spun around and hurried for the galley.

"Come sit," Robin said in a motherly tone. They let Neo and Law sit together on the bench around the mass. Chopper remained in her hold and on her lap.

"Can I ask how Corazon is doing?" Chopper asked timidly. Neo nodded and opened the compact. Chopper studied the baby carefully through the mirror. He nodded when the words 'Still stable and resting comfortably' scrolled across the bottom as if he was agreeing with what the words were saying. "That's good. I'm relieved they can help him."

"I'm glad that Velocity and Elian decided to stay with him," Nami said softly while glancing at the compact.

"Hungry," Luffy whined, finally waking up. He sat up and looked around. "Sanji, I want meat. Hm? Traffy? Neo? When did you all get here?"

Both crews sighed. Once again the story of what happened was told. Luffy crossed his arms with a furious glare in his eyes. Law knew that look from Punk Hazard and Dressrosa. "They're _not_ going to get away with this! How dare they attack my friends?! And hurt my nephew! They're gonna pay for this!"

"At least he's finally snapped out of that dream," Nami sighed.

"That's Luffy for ya," Sanji said, returning with some tea for Neo and Law. He walked over to them and handed them the cups.

"Thank you," Neo said softly while Law just nodded his thanks.

"Some kinda dream like world, huh?" Luffy, snapping out of his fury, rubbed his chin in mock deep thought. "That makes no sense at all."

"He's gonna need a demonstration, isn't he?" Bepo asked.

"Of course he is," The Straw Hat crew sighed.

"I'll do it. I've been wanting to try this out anyway. If we're gonna have to control the world around us we're all gonna have to practice," Shachi said. He took a deep breath then let it out slowly. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Everyone, but the Heart Pirates, eyes widened when Shachi created fish like Elian did in the sub.

"That's not possible!" Nami exclaimed.

"Interesting," Robin mumbled.

"This is just crazy," Franky said, pushing up his sunglasses to get a better look at a small group of fish swimming near him.

"This is confusing. They're real, but also, not real," Chopper said. He tapped a fish that swam by. The fish looked at Chopper before swimming off. "This is going to take some getting use to."

"Shachi's right," Sanji puffed on his cigarette while Celeste road around on one of the fish. "We're gonna have to practice controlling our minds. Especially if our dreams can become reality. And with how Luffy's dream easily became reality, we're going to have to work hard on this."

With that, Sanji closed his eyes. An intense look of concentration appeared on his features. The next thing everyone knew, the women's clothes changed into very skimpy outfits. Neo squeaked, dropped her now empty tea cup and pulled Chopper closer to her body to cover herself as her cheeks flushed bright red. Sanji opened his eyes and drooled while his nose spewed blood at Nami and Robin's almost completely exposed bodies.

"You idiot!" Nami cried. She pulled back her fist and punched Sanji as hard as she could. "Doing this to me and Robin is one thing! But doing this to _Neo_ is another! What were you thinking?!"

"What?" Sanji picked himself up and rubbed his throbbing cheek. "I didn't do anything to Neo. I would never do this to her."

"Uh huh," Nami crossed her arms and turned her eyes from him. Sanji followed her gaze. He shriveled down when he saw Neo ducking behind Chopper and the Heart Pirates glowering at him.

"Really!" Sanji waved his hands frantically. "I didn't mean to do it to her! I have the utmost respect for her!"

"Room! Shambles!" Law hissed before anyone else could say or do anything. He sliced Sanji up into as many pieces as possible. He then turned to Neo and concentrated on her clothes until she was back in her usual button up shirt and jeans. He slipped his arm around her and kissed her temple. "Are you all right, love?"

"I'm fine," Neo leaned against his side and finally released her tight hold on Chopper.

"Serves you right," Nami growled at Sanji's severed body.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to do that to _her_! I respect her very much!" Sanji shrieked in his defense while all this body parts wiggled and twitched. "That was just harder than I thought I was going to be!"

"He might be right," Shachi sighed, coming to the divided man's defense. "It was fairly hard to summon those small fish that I did."

"Yes! Yes! He's right!" Sanji said. "It _was_ hard! It _was_ an accident!"

"I guess we're really going to have to practice hard on controlling this," Robin said. Everyone's eyes dropped to Luffy. He was concentrating so hard his face was turning red. Suddenly, a piece of meat, twice as big as the Straw Hat captain, appeared in front of the teen.

"Meat!" Luffy cried before chomping down on his treat.

"Such a one track mind," Brook mumbled.

"We are now in a world where we have to use our brains over our brawn. And, let's face it, our crew is not known for using our brains. We are in so much trouble," Nami sighed.

"Well at least we have the Heart Pirates with us," Brook said, sipping his tea. "We'll be fine."

Everyone, but Luffy, looked at the skeleton. After a few seconds, they all sighed.


	42. Hauntings P1

Hauntings

Part 1

Law sigh as he rolled over onto his left side. He reached over for Neo. When he couldn't find her, he opened his eyes and found she wasn't there. "Neo?"

Law sat up and looked around the room. She wasn't there. He pushed the covers off and headed out of the room to find her. He eventually found her sitting in the galley. She had plate of cold ranch pasta and a cup of sweet tea sitting on the table in front of her. Neither of the items had been touched. Law leaned against the door frame and watched her mindlessly pick at the pasta, effectively shredding it.

After a while, he pushed off the door frame and walked over to her. He sat down without a word and kissed her temple. "You really should eat that. You haven't hardly ate anything since…I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could have done."

"I know you would have done something if you could," Neo replied softly. "I don't blame you for anything that happened. Especially since it-"

"Stop it right there. Don't you dare start blaming yourself for this again," Law ordered.

"But, Law, it _is_ my fault," Neo released her fork and rubbed her face with her hands. "Just like is was my fault that Pendulum took me and separated you all on the Time Domes."

"Love," Law put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his bare chest. "What can I say to make you understand that none of this is your fault? Pendulum and Isleen are the only ones responsible for their actions."

"If it's not my fault, why do I feel so bad?" Neo asked as tears fell down her cheeks.

"Because you care. You love us all and want us to be safe. You worry about us just like we worry about you," Law tightened his hold on her. "No one blames you for anything. Cora still loves you. Penguin still loves you. We all still love you. No one, especially our son and Penguin, will blame you for anything that's happened. You know that, right?"

Neo nodded. She opened the compact. "I miss them."

"I know you do," Law kissed her temple again. "We'll get them both back."

"What do…What do you think she's doing to him?" Neo asked softly. It was clear to Law that she was afraid to ask this question, but she still had to do it.

Law thought carefully before answering her. "Well, since this is a grudge issue…I don't believe she's harming him in anyway."

Neo looked up at Law. "Think about it, if she really wanted to hurt us, then why didn't she go after _all_ of us? I believe she only went after Cora because he's blood related to you. Also because he's a baby. He was the only one of us who couldn't fight back."

"I never should have left him alone," Neo whispered.

"Don't do that. No one, not even me, can be with our son every second of everyday. It's not humanly possible. And it's not _Elementally_ possible," Law said. He picked up the fork and pierced a couple pieces of the pasta. He then held it to her lips. He sensed she was going to refuse, but she didn't. She opened her lips and allowed him to slip in the food. He continued to feed her while talking softly. "Penguin won't want you to keep blaming yourself. Both he and Cora need you to focus right now. They would want you to turn this self blaming, all this fear and worry and turn it into strength. They'd want you to turn it against Isleen and get them back."

"And my people?" Neo asked before Law gave her another bite.

"You know they won't blame you for anything. You are not responsible for the actions of your ancestors. If the Reality Warpers got locked up then they deserved it. And with what we have been told about them, they probably did deserve it," Law gave her another bite. "Now, love, what are you going to do?"

Neo locked eyes with him. After a pause she sighed and smiled lightly. "I'm going to stop blaming myself for something I had no control over. I'm going to get our son back. I'm going to get our Penguin, my brother, back. I'm going to free my people from her clutches. And I'm going to let the rest of my family help me and be my strength as they, as _you_ , always are."

"Good girl," Law pecked her lips. "I'm glad you came to your senses. If you didn't, I was going to have to actually punish you. And I would _not_ have liked doing it. Now finish your pasta."

"Only if you keep feeding it to me," Neo snuggled up against Law and batted her eyelashes at him. Law chuckled while rolling his eyes. But he did as she wanted. Once the pasta was finished, Law stealing a few bites, Neo chugged down her tea. She gathered up the dishes and sat them in the sink. Just as she released her hands from the dishes, a strange sound echoed through the sub. It sounded like someone, with very large nails, scratched a wall of the sub.

 **Skreeeeeeeeeeeeek**

"What was that?" Neo jumped.

"I'm not sure," Law replied with narrowed eyebrows. Neo walked over to him and grabbed onto his arm. They stood quietly to see if it happened again. It did.

 **Skreeeeeeeeeeeeek**

Neo shivered and clung tighter to Law. "I've never heard that noise on the sub before."

"Neither have I," Law patted Neo's hand then led her out of the galley. A cool chill settled onto the sub as they walked down the halls. Neo shivered and snuggled into Law's arm. They remained silent while roaming through their home. They checked each room carefully, nothing was out of place. They checked on the crew, everyone, but Penguin, accounted for. They checked the control room, the crew member was fine and nothing different, nothing out of place. "Did you hear anything a few minutes ago?"

"A strange noise like giant nails on the wall," The crew mate replied with a shiver. "It was really creepy. But I haven't seen or heard anything else since then."

"Hm," Law huffed. "Neo, you don't sense a Warper, do you?"

"No," Neo shook her head. "I've been checking."

"It might have been nothing. Keep a close eye on things," Law told the crew mate. "If it happens again, come get me. We're going back to bed."

"Aye, Captain!" The crew mate chirped. "Goodnight, you two. Neo, I hope you're feeling better now."

"Thanks," Neo smiled sweetly. "I am feeling a bit better."

The two exchanged waves before Law led her out of the control room and back to their own room. He allowed her to climb in bed first before laying down himself. He held up his arm and she snuggled against him. She then opened the compact. Still nothing had changed with Corazon. He was sleeping peacefully with Elian and Velocity near by. Neo brushed a finger over the mirror, wishing she was actually touching Corazon. "He'll be okay."

"Of course he will," Law assured her. "He's strong. Just like his mother."

Neo tilted her head so she could look at Law. She smiled. "Just like his father."

Law returned her smile then lean down and captured her lips. His kiss was slow and tender. It was one of Neo's favorite ways for him to kiss her. It was comforting, soft yet strong. Like he was trying to pass his strength into her through their lips. When they broke their kiss, they settled into each other and watched Corazon sleep. Like always, it didn't take Neo long to fall asleep herself. Once he was sure she was out, Law carefully closed the compact. He kissed into her hair then closed his eyes, making sure to keep his hold on her.

…

Sanji sighed with delight. He was up on the deck of the sub, with Celeste sleeping on his head. His body finally reassembled, but it had taken hours because Luffy, Chopper and Usopp kept putting him together the wrong way and laughed about it. He was nothing but a toy for them. But, eventually, they finally put him together and in the correct order. He was now on lookout duty. Or he was supposed to be. He was distracting himself by summoning pretty women that were barely dressed.

 **Scrape Scraaape**

"Huh?" Sanji snapped out of his fantasy and the women faded away.

 **Scraaaaaape Scraape**

"What are those morons doing now?" Sanji shoved his hands into his pockets and headed inside the ship. When he got inside, a shadow moved across the far end of the hall. He paused for a second, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. "Luffy? Usopp? What are you goofy balls doing now?"

An eerie silence was the only thing that greeted him. He shook his head. "Don't be silly. There's no one here. It's just one of the crew."

Sanji shuffled onto the mens quarters and stepped inside. "All right, which one of you…"

Sanji looked around and saw all of them were sleeping hard. He scratched his head then left. He made his way to the womens quarters. He knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Robin opened the door. "What is it, Sanji?"

"I'm just checking things out. There's been some strange sounds on the ship tonight," Sanji replied. "How are you and Nami?"

"We're fine," Robin replied.

"Sanji!" Nami hissed. She got off the bed and stomped over to the door. "If you have come in here to try and peak at us, I'm gonna knock you all the way to the moon."

"I'm not," Sanji replied.

Nami's fury disappeared when she saw Sanji's face and the seriousness his eyes held. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Sanji puffed on his cigarette. "It might not be anything. I haven't heard anything for a while now."

"Should we wake up the others?" Nami asked.

"Not necessary," Sanji waved her off. "If it happens again, I'll alert everyone then."

"All right then," Robin said. "Goodnight, Sanji."

"Goodnight, ladies," Sanji echoed back. He waited for the door to be closed before headed back out onto the deck.

…

Neo stretched out her arms as she walked out of the bathroom. She smiled when she saw Law. He had just pulled on his shirt. She summoned her wings and took to the air. She flew behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, clenching his shirt, and legs around his waist. He chuckled when she nuzzled her nose behind his ear. "Mmmm, I missed you."

"You just saw me three minutes ago," Law pointed out.

"I know. But I still missed you," Neo purred. Law hooked his arms under her knees. He knew she was feeling vulnerable with everything that has happened. "Stay with me, okay?"

"Of course, my love," Law brushed his thumbs over her legs. "I'll do whatever you need me to do for you."

"Thanks, love. I love you so much," Neo whispered, tightening her hold on him.

"Love you too," Law squeezed her legs then headed out of their room. Just as they stepped out into the hall, the crew came running up to them.

"We're missing a crew mate!" Bepo reported. "We've look all over for him! He's not here!"

"What?" Law asked.

"No," Neo trembled. "Not another one."

Before anyone else could say another word, a loud shrill came from the Sunny. The crew exchanged looks before rushing over to their current company. But when they got to the door of the sub and opened it, they found it led them right into the Sunny instead of the deck. Then entire crew, but Neo and Law, shouted. "What the heck?!"

"Hey! How did you get here so fast?!" Usopp demanded. He blinked and looked into the sub. "What's going on?! Why can I see into _your_ ship?!"

"You tell us! We heard a scream!" A crew mate said.

"AH!" Another scream jolted through the air.

"That's Nami scream! She's in trouble!" Sanji said. He then bolted down the hall with hearts in his eyes. "And she needs _me_ to save her! Coming, Nami Sweet!"

"Goofy boy," Celeste chuckled as she flew after the cook.

The rest of the crews followed after him. They dashed right into the womens room. Nami was in one corner, freaking out. She pointed across the room. And there in another corner was a dark grey werewolf. Luffy blinked at the wolf. "What the heck? Why's there a dog on my ship?"

"Take a closer look, Luffy. That's not a dog. That's a…werewolf?" Franky questioned.

"A werewolf?!" Usopp and Chopper shrieked while clinging to each other.

"Who cares what it is?!" Nami shrieked. "What in the world is it doing in our room?! And how did it even get in here?!"

"Let's make it a crew member!" Luffy shouted with glee.

"Are you insane?!" Usopp whacked Luffy over the head.

"Sorry, Luffy, but you can't have him," Neo said. She was still on Law's back when everyone turned to her. She flittered her wings and lifted off him. She then flew over to the werewolf. "He's ours."

"Neo?" Law asked.

"Law, he's our missing crew mate," Neo said with her eyebrows turned up in worry. "He doesn't know how, but he woke up here in this room, looking like this."

"Does this mean there's a Warper around here somewhere?" Zoro asked.

"That would explain why our ships are now connected like they are," Brook said.

Neo nodded. "And that's not all, I'm afraid."

"What else is there?" Law asked.

Neo turned her worried eyes to him. "He's fighting a darkness that's telling him to attack us."

"What?!" The loud crew members shouted. Just then the werewolf crew mate jerked away from Neo. He shoved himself in the corner and grabbed his head.

"It's okay," Neo said while reaching for the man. He slapped her hand away and snarled.

"Neo," Law said in his warning tone. He raised his hand to ready himself to use Room if necessary. "Come over here."

"But he's-"

"Not in control of himself," Law said. Before anything else could be said, the werewolf crew mate grabbed Neo and threw her back over to the rest of the crew.

"Neo!" They all shouted. She landed on her side and lid over the floor a few feet.

"Neo?!" Law kneeled down and lifted her up.

"How dare you attack her!" Luffy shouted and charged for him.

"Don't hurt him!" Neo cried out. Luffy stopped in his tracks. "I'm fine!"

"But he…" Luffy started.

"It's not his fault," Neo said. "It's the Warper's fault. That's the one we need to fight."

"But where is he?" Robin asked.

"I don't know. I know the Warper is here, but I haven't been able to sense where," Neo said as Law continued to hold her close to him. The werewolf growling turned their eyes back to him. It was obvious that he was struggling against the orders to attack his crew. He repeatedly shook his head, snarled, drooled, snapped his jaws. "We have to find the Warper."

"Then let's split up," Franky said. Just as the words left his mouth, circles opened up around them all. They fell through them, getting separated. The cyborg cried out as they slid down the dark holes they fell into. "This is not what I meant!"

"Where are we going?!" Neo asked. Law had her pressed firmly into his chest as he fell with her, Usopp, a few Heart Pirates and Franky.

"Ah! We're all gonna die!" Usopp cried. He flailed his arms and legs wildly. "I'm too young to die!"

"Neo, use your crystals," Law said. Neo summoned her wind crystals and gathered them up in her winds.

"Nice," Franky said. "Your crystals sure do come in handy."

"Thanks," Neo said as she summoned her fire crystals. She lit up their area and they looked around. Their surroundings were nothing but grey and it looked like they were inside some kind of tube or rounded slide. "Is everyone all right? Where are we?"

"We're fine," The crew mates said.

"I'm not fine! This is insane!" Usopp shouted.

"I have no idea where we are. This isn't part of the Sunny at all," Franky said while inspecting the walls. "These Warpers are going to be a serious pain to beat."

After several minutes of Neo floating them, the group finally landed on the floor. Neo slid her hand into Law's. "I can sense it. The Warper is somewhere around here. I'm not sure where. It seems like there's something, some kind of wall, between us."

"Might as well get moving then. We're not going to find it or our friends by standing around here," Franky said. Law nodded and the group started making their way through their strange grey surroundings.

…

 **Author's Notes: Glad everyone liked the last chapter so much. I love it too. Sanji and Luffy are such a riot. At least Law didn't kill Sanji for what he did. Neo's presence must have saved his life.**


	43. Hauntings P2

Hauntings

Part Two

"Ouch. That hurt," Luffy whined as he sat up. He adjusted his hat. "Where the heck are we?"

"That is the question," Sanji said while puffing on his cigarette.

"We're still on the ship," Celeste replied. "But the Warper has messed it up. It's all tangled up with the other ship. The Warper also has included what you humans call a haunted house like effect. More have been turned into monsters."

"Monsters?" Bepo asked.

"Four of the six Heart Pirates that were with us and Brook have been taken over by the Warper," Celeste shrugged like she didn't care that any of this was happening. The group turned around when they heard a low moan behind them. Brook and the four Heart Pirates had been transformed into zombies.

"Did you have to say that so casually?!" The remained two Heart Pirates demanded as the group took off running.

"Crap! I feel like we're back on Thriller Bark!" Sanji shouted.

"Hey, you're right!" Luffy laughed. "This does feel like we're on Thriller Bark! How is that possible?"

"Because of the Warpers magic," Celeste reminded them. "They warp reality. Empress Futura said this was possible."

"Great! Just what we need!" Sanji grumbled. "A blast from the past!"

"Just run!" Bepo cried. "We have to find the others! Or the Warper and stop it!"

"Why don't we just fight?!" Luffy asked.

"No! Those are my crew mates! And one of yours! We can't hurt them!" Bepo shrieked. Their eyes widened when one of the Heart Pirates threw a knife at them. It lodged in the wall.

"But they can hurt us!" A Heart Pirate shouted. One of the zombies leaped up and landed in front of them. "I guess we don't have much of a choice. We're gonna have to fight!"

"Let's do it then! Just try to knock them out! I don't want to make Neo cry by hurting her family!" Luffy shouted. He skidded to a stop and cracked his knuckles. The two groups locked into hand to hand combat. One knocked Luffy to the ground. "Dang! They're tougher than they look!"

"Well, we did train with Trafalgar Law and Neo," A Heart Pirate said.

"Yeah, but they're a lot stronger than before," Another Heart Pirate pointed out.

"It must be the magic of the Warpers," Sanji said while kicking a zombie away. "We'd be stupid to think this would be easy! We're getting no where like this!"

"Stop the Warper, stop the spell!" Celeste pointed out.

"Then fighting really is pointless," Sanji said. "Let's get going and find that Warper. And remember, we need to use our brains with this not our brawn."

"Then use pretty boy brain," Celeste giggled. "Brains get us back to friends. Even to Warper."

"This is not going to be easy," Sanji said. "We're all gonna have to concentrate together. Let's trap these monsters first then try and will ourselves to the Warper."

The group continued to dodge their monster crew mates attack while simultaneously trying to use their mind control to trap them. After several minutes of doing this, they finally managed to form a rope. The rope wrapped around the zombies.

"It worked," Bepo blinked.

"Then consider phase one completed," Sanji said, puffing on his cigarette.

"I like them like this," Luffy said while poking Brook in the head. "Can we keep them?"

"Is he serious?" The Heart Pirates asked.

"Yeah," Sanji nodded. "Just ignore him. Time to take down this Warper. Everyone start concentrating on finding the Warper."

"Right!" Everyone nodded.

Luffy started concentrating. A pile of meat suddenly appeared at his feet. A wide grin spread over his lips. "Meat!"

"You idiot!" Sanji punched his captain. "That's not anything close to a Warper!"

"I'm beginning to understand how the captain felt when he first started the alliance between our crews," Bepo said. His fellow crew mates nodded in agreement.

"Stop summoning food and focus on the Warper!" Sanji demanded with another hit to Luffy's head.

"Okay! Will you stop hitting me now?!" Luffy cried. "I'm focusing! I'm focusing! Warper! Warper! Warper!"

…

"Interesting," Robin said as she looked at a warped version of herself in a mirror. "These magical creatures have such impressive abilities."

"Do you really have to be so impressed about all this?" A Heart Pirate asked.

"I have to admit…I'd be impressed too if Penguin and Cora wasn't in such danger," Shachi said. "I wonder where everyone else is. I hope Neo is with the captain."

"I'm sure she's fine," The Heart Pirate said. "The captain was still holding onto her when we got separated. Let's get a move on. We're not going to find anyone just standing around here."

"Guys, I don't feel so good," Chopper said. They all turned to him. He dropped to the ground and clenched his stomach.

"What's the matter, Chopper?" Nami asked.

"I don't…kno-" Chopper's voice cut off as his body grew into his monster form.

"What the heck?!" Nami shouted. "Why did you eat a rumble ball?!"

"I-I didn't," Chopper struggled to speak. "It…It's not me. I'm being changed by someone else."

"The Warper," Robin said calmly.

"Do you really have to be so calm?!" The Heart Pirates shouted.

"Get away from me!" Chopper said just before swiping his hand out at them.

Zoro jumped away from Chopper then pull out his swords to attack. Nami grabbed his arm. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Trying not to get killed," Zoro replied.

"That's Chopper!" Nami shouted.

When Chopper swiped at them again, Zoro grabbed Nami and jumped away from him. Zoro growled. "And he's trying to kill us!"

"That doesn't mean we have to hurt him!" Nami shouted back. "We have to use our brains here! Remember?!"

"Then how do we do that-" Zoro paused in his talking, grabbed Nami and jumped away from their spot just as Chopper brought his hand down where they were standing. "-and not get smashed?!"

"Zoro, you and the Heart Pirates distract Chopper," Robin said. She looked at Nami. "We'll see if we can create some kind of bondage to hold Chopper until his three minutes are up."

"Right," Everyone nodded. The group divided up and proceeded to do their job. Zoro and the Heart Pirates dove right in and distracted Chopper. Chopper roared and swiped at them with everything he had.

Nami and Robin stood back and focused on binding Chopper. After a few minutes of concentrating, the women bounded their monster friend with chains. Chopper roared and struggled against the chains. The group stood on guard while they waited to see if the chain was going to hold.

…

"L-Law?" Neo stuttered as her group made their way through the twisted halls of their ships.

"Neo, what's wrong?" Law stopped walking and put his arms around Neo when her knees buckled. The rest of the group stopped and looked back at them.

"Something's…Something's happening to me-AH!" Neo screamed and her body when limp.

"Neo!" Law bend down and held her tight.

"G-Get away…" Neo whispered.

"What?!" Law asked.

"The Warper…It…It's trying to change me," Neo grabbed a hold of Law's shirt. "Law, get away from me!"

"No! I won't do that!" Law insisted. "You know I can't!"

"Law, please, get everyone away from me," Neo begged. "If…If that Warper takes control of me…they won't be able to stop me."

"But-" Before Law could finish his sentence, the Warper took over Neo's mind and started to change her. Neo summoned her wind crystals and pushed everyone away from her.

"What the heck?!" Franky shouted.

"We're gonna die!" Usopp freaked. "How can _we_ face up to Neo?! She's nature!"

"She won't hurt us!" A crew mate shouted. "This isn't her fault!"

"I know that! But she's about to be under control of the ENEMY!" Usopp shouted.

"Neo," Law started to reach for her. Suddenly their surroundings began to warp. Next thing they knew, they were in a different room with the rest of their friends.

"What happened?" Shachi asked.

"You're a lot stronger than I thought you'd be," An unfamiliar voice said. They looked around the room. Far away from them, sitting on a shelf hovering in the air, was a female Warper wearing the same outfit as the one before her.

"A Warper! The crews shouted.

"Gum Gum!" Luffy shouted and pulled back his punch.

"Sorry, that won't work," The Warper said. She snapped her fingers and the crew mates that were tied up were suddenly freed.

"Get away!" Neo shoved Law away from her and ran to a corner of the room. The freed monster crew mates jumped over to her and formed a barrier between the others and Neo.

"Crap," Law hissed. "Don't tell me you were after Neo this entire time."

"What?!" The crews gasped.

"Well, if you want to get technical, she _is_ stronger than the rest of you. She does control all the forces of nature. As long as I can get control of her mind, she'll kill you all," Law flinched at the woman's words and narrowed his eyebrows with a deep frown. "She's so weak right now because of what's happen. It won't be long before she's under my control."

Law growled and clenched his fists. "Neo is not weak. She won't attack us."

"That's what _you_ think," The Warper smirked. "I think I'll have her attack _you_ first."

"Then do it all ready," Law said in a nonchalant way that made the Warper angry.

"Fine!" The Warper hissed. "Attack them, my dear monsters! I'll finished up with _her_ then she will join you!"

The monster crew mates charged towards their friends. Nami and Usopp shouted and started to run around the room while the rest, but for Law, started to clash with the monsters. Law remained standing right where he was. His eyes locked onto Neo as the Warper continued her assault. Neo struggled against changing. "Don't fight it, dearie. I know how weak you really are. You're loosing the battle with every passing second. Just give into me all ready. I'm winning this. Then I'll take your magic and present it as a gift to our beloved queen."

"L-Law…" Neo looked up at him. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Neo," Law spoke softly to her. "You won't hurt us. You know you won't. I've got you, remember? Remember back on Luminous?"

"Luminous…" Neo took a slow deep breath before her mind was taken over by the Warper.

"Ha! I win!" The Warper smiled in victory. "Attack him, my dear."

"I've noticed a similar trend in you Warpers, besides your looks," Law said as Neo started to walk towards him while summoning her crystals. Each crystal wielded their elements. The elements snapped and crackled with each step she took. "You have ridiculously big egos and you under estimate us at every turn."

"Attack him!" The Warper demanded.

Neo's elementals grew and snapped more wildly. Law remained calm as Neo continued to advance on him. The Warper huffed. "What's the matter with you? She's going to attack you."

"How many times do I have to say it before you'll understand? Neo _won't_ attack me or anyone else here, but for _you_ ," Law smirked.

"You're so getting on my nerves!" The Warper slapped her hand on the shelf. "Attack him all ready! Attack!"

"Neo, I order you to stop," Law said calmly. Neo was a foot from him when her body reacted to his command. She paused.

"What?!" The Warper demanded.

Law reached up and ran his fingers through her hair. He spoke softy while he ran his fingers in her hair then cupped her cheeks. "I am the only one who orders her around. I am the only one she'll truly listen to in situations like this. And I only control her when she needs it. She trusts me to do that. Like right now. Neo…I order you to come back to me."

Neo's eyelids fell close. After a few seconds she leaned into his hand. She opened her eyes and smiled. "Thank you, Law."

Law smiled as he leaned down and captured her lips with his.

"I'm happy you two are back to being so lovey dovey, but can you PLEASE HELP US AND FLIRT LATER?!" Nami shrieked as she ran around the room with some of the monster crew chasing her.

"Sorry," Neo and Law blushed while turning to help their friends. Neo summoned her wind crystals and trapped all their monster friends in her winds.

"Crap," The Warper cursed. She jumped from her shelf. Before she got very far, Zoro leaped up and sliced the Warper. She fell unconscious to the ground. Sanji summoned some chains to hold her down just in case.

"Good job, guys," Shachi said while pulling out a pair of cuffs. He quickly snapped them on the Warper and she disappeared from the room. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when everything, and everyone, went back to normal.

"Their back," Neo said as she leaned into Law's chest. Law nodded. He then picked her up. She nuzzled into his neck.

"Well, that was fun," Nami said sarcastically.

"My ship!" Franky cried. He slammed himself onto a wall and hugged the Sunny. "I thought I might never see you and your beauty ever again! Waaaaa!"

"Did I hurt anyone?" Chopper asked. He had transformed back into his normal self.

"No," Robin said while picking him up. "You didn't hurt anyone."

"I'm so glad," Chopper cried. "I was so scared! I couldn't stop the transformation!"

"We're fine, Chopper," Nami said. Chopper nodded, but continued crying. Neo summoned her crystal to help Chopper heal.

"How are you all? Do you need me to heal you?" Neo looked at all the others who were changed.

"No, we're fine." They said. Neo sighed, glad everyone was okay. She laid her head on Law's shoulder. He pecked her forehead before turning to head back to their own ship.

…

 **Author's Notes: Howdy all! Thanks for the reviews! :) And yea, gonna continue on for a while still. But not quiet sure how long. I've noticed with this idea I can technically go on forever with ideas, but I'm not gonna do that. I'll end it after getting certain things accomplished in the storyline. I am, however, thinking if I get more ideas of this story I'll post them under my One shots collection. In a way the story can continue that way.**

 **I also have a couple new story ideas rattling around in my head. Like, what if Neo didn't have to leave Luminous when she was a baby? What if she was raised on her home island until she was much older? How would that effect her and Law's relationship when they finally meet each other?**


	44. Kid's Return

Kid's Return

Neo was sitting on the railing of the Sunny. Law was on her right, leaning his back against the rail, while Chopper, Usopp and Luffy was on her left with their fishing lines dangling in the water. She picked up the compact and flipped it open. Law glanced over at her when he heard the click of the compact. A light smile formed on her lips as she watched their son sleep. Nothing had changed with his condition. Law leaned over and pressed his lips to her shoulder. When she turned to him, he captured her lips with his.

"Man! This just burns me up!" Luffy simmered. He clenched his fishing pole to the point it almost broke. "Going after _my_ nephew like that! Once I get a hold of that creature! I'm gonna ring her neck! Then slam her into the ground!"

"I know!" Chopper and Usopp agreed. "They're gonna pay for this!"

"Will you three knock it off?! You're upsetting Neo!" Nami hissed. Shachi and Bepo looked up from their spots near and on the mass bench.

"It's all right, Nami," Neo said softly. "It's nice to know you all care so much. It really does help."

"Hey," Brook then said cheerfully. "How about a song?"

"I think that would be wonderful," Robin replied. "How about it, Neo?"

"Yeah," Neo nodded. "I'd like that."

"Very well, milady. This one's for you," Brook said as he raised his violin to his chin. As he played, Neo closed the compact, slipped off the rail and leaned into Law's chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. A few minutes later, Neo quickly lifted her head off Law's chest.

"What is it, love?" Law asked.

"I sense a part of Luminous," Neo replied. "I also sense two Warpers."

"Where?!" All of the loud Straw Hats and Heart Pirates demanded.

"Uh," Neo closed her eyes and tried to pin point their location. "There's an island north of here. It's about half an hour away."

"Let's hurry up and get there then!" Luffy ordered. "I can't hold in my anger much longer! I need a head to smash!"

"Keep your shirt on," Sanji said. "We need to inform the Heart Pirates of this."

"Right!" Luffy shouted. He tossed his pole down and shot himself over to the sub.

"Impatient as always," Franky shook his head as he started to turn the Sunny in the direction Neo had told them.

"Is there something else?" Law asked when he noticed a strange look on her face.

"I'm not sure," Neo replied. "I feel like there's something else, or someone else on the island. But I don't know who or why I can sense them. They're not magical at all."

"We'll know soon enough," Law tightened his arms around her, pulling her back to his chest.

…

"What the heck?!" Just about all the Heart and Straw Hat pirates shouted. They had finally arrived at their destined island. What they saw was a very large jungle. Everything, trees, flowers, fruit had been super sized. It was larger than the plants on Green Bit.

"This is insane! Is this an island for giants?!" Usopp asked.

"No," Nami shook her head. "This isn't an island of giants, humans anyway. No humans should be here at all."

"It looks like so much fun!" Luffy said with starry eyes.

"Keep focused, you idiot!" Sanji said as he whacked Luffy.

"We should get going then," Shachi said as they started to climb off the Sunny.

"I know Nami said there shouldn't be any people on this island, but shouldn't there be animals?" A Heart Pirate asked a few minutes later when they didn't see or hear any wildlife.

"There are animals," Neo said. "They're farther inland."

"Yeah," Chopper nodded. "I can smell them. I can smell something else too. It's people."

"People?" A crew mate asked.

"I smell them too. And, Captain, you're not gonna like who it is," Bepo said.

"Hm?" Law blinked at his bear subordinate. "Who is it?"

"The Kid Pirates," Bepo replied.

"What?!" Shachi shouted.

"I'm sorry," Bepo bowed his head.

"Great," Neo grumbled. She grabbed onto Law's arm and held tight. Law growled. Both he and Neo thought of the same incident with Kid after Law had left for Punk Hazard.

"Might as well check and see why they're here," Robin said.

"Fine," Shachi grumbled. "But he better not try and attack her again."

Law laced his fingers through Neo's and they all started walking. Soon strange sounds started to filter through the trees. Eventually, they made it to the source of the noise. They group paused and took in the sight before them.

"You have got to be kidding!" Usopp shouted. "Of all the people in the entire world to run into, WHY did it HAVE to be THEM?!"

Luffy blinked several times before being taken over by laughter. "Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Let go of me, you big ape!" Kid cried as his body flipped feet over head. He and his crew were being tossed around like balls by a group of giant monkeys.

Killer tried to slice the monkey holding him, but the creature never felt it. "What's going on with these things? I can't cut them at all."

"My fire's not working on them either," Heat shouted.

"Try, try, try as you might!" One of the Warpers crowed. They were sitting in a nearby tree laughing at their prey.

"We've told you before! You can't beat us with your strength alone!" The other one added. "You are now in a world where the brain rules!"

"You can't blame then, sister," The first one said. "They're pathetic humans. Humans are not known for using their brains."

"So true, sister!" The second one laughed. "Oh! Look! They're finally here! It's the traitorous Elemental Princess that our queen informed us about!"

Neo bit her bottom lip. Law held out his arm in front of her as if to protect her from the Warpers words.

"Great," Sanji took a long drawl on his cigarette before speaking. "Might as well help them out."

"Do we have to?" Nami asked. "I kinda like them like this."

"Nami! You're so vicious! It's so cute!" Sanji danced around the orange haired woman with hearts in his eyes.

"Sanji being cute again!" Celeste giggled from inside Sanji's breast pocket.

"So how do we get them down from there?" Zoro asked. "Just mentally wish it?"

"Not this time," Neo said. "At least, not with the monkeys."

"What do you mean?" Law asked.

"The monkeys are actually really that size. They're just being manipulated by the Warpers," Neo explained. "I think I can get the monkeys to let them go, but someone needs to break the Warpers concentration to free their minds."

"All right," Law nodded in understanding. "We'll have to separate to pull this off. Straw Hat, since you're so fired up for a fight, you lead one group and go after one of the Warpers."

"Yeah!" Luffy slammed him fist into his palm.

"I'll take another group and go after the other Warper," Shachi said as he pulled out a pair of cuffs for Luffy's group. "Here. The best way to get these on the Warper is to distract it while someone else sneaks up behind it."

"Well, Luffy's got the distraction part covered," Nami said. "But Usopp, Sanji and Zoro will go with him to help since we all know he'll screw it up. I'm staying here."

"Hey! Stop volunteering us for babysitting duty!" Zoro and Usopp shouted.

"I'll do whatever you wish, Nami!" Sanji sang. "I'm your humble servant."

"I think I'll go with the Heart Pirates," Franky said.

"Me as well," Brook stated.

"Take some of my crew with you, Straw Hat," Law said. Luffy nodded.

"I'm going to stay here with you," Chopper said as he looked up at Neo. "I can help you convince the monkeys that the Heart Pirates aren't toys."

"Thanks, Chopper," Neo smiled.

"I think I'll stay here as well," Robin stated.

"Let's go!" Luffy cried out as he took off running.

"And there he goes," Usopp sighed.

"Might as well get going too," Shachi said as he shifted the strap of the bag on his shoulder.

"Be careful," Neo said while glance at her crew.

"We will, Princess," Shachi kissed her temple. "We won't be gone long."

"They'll be fine," Law assured her. Those who were staying behind to deal with the monkeys turned to them. They waited patently for the other two groups to distract the Warpers so they can do their job.

…..

"Here they come, sister," The Warper said.

"Let's get to it then, sister," The other Warper said. The two giggled then separated as they dashed into the forest.

"Get back here!" Luffy cried out as he chased after the one who went right. His group followed him, but once they were far enough in the woods, Usopp and the Heart Pirates broke off from the rest of their group and disappeared into the woods.

"Catch me! If you can, human!" The Warper stuck her tongue out at Luffy.

"You're ticking me off!" Luffy growled. He balled up his fist and threw a punch at the Warper. His arm wrapped around her. "Gotcha!"

"Pathetic human," The Warper giggled.

"You're the one who's caught," Zoro smirked.

"Only because you think so," The Warper then disappeared from Luffy's hold. She reappeared sitting in another tree. "You keep forgetting this world is now of the mind. All you humans want to do is use your brawn. That's why you'll never defeat our queen."

Suddenly the tree the Warper was sitting on warped into chains, locking her in place. "What?!"

"You under estimate us humans," Sanji said. He had warped the tree when the Warper was distracted. "That will be your downfall."

"Cutie! Good job!" Celeste cheered.

"Shut up, you little winged traitor! You're just as bad as the Elemental! This is _our_ world, human! You can't win over us. I can change anything you create with ease!" The Warper hissed. The chains holding her then started to warp back into the tree. Sudden a couple Heart Pirates jumped out of the bushes and grabbed the Warper.

"Now!" They cried.

"I'm on it!" Usopp shout as he too emerged from the bushes. He jumped up to the Warper. The Heart Pirates pinned her arms behind her back and Usopp slapped the cuffs on her.

"No!" She cried out just before disappearing from the area.

"Yes!" The Heart Pirates cheered.

"I just hope the others get it done just as easy," Sanji said while shoving his hands in his pockets. "Lucky for us these creatures are still fairly weak from not being able to use their magic. But we need to be careful. They'll won't stay this weak forever."

…

"She went that way!" A Heart Pirate shouted.

"We need to get this thing surrounded," Franky said. "That'll probably be our best bet. We can divide her attention. No way she can handle us all with her freaky mind powers."

"That might work," Shachi nodded. "Why don't you, Brook and a couple of my crew mates break off from the rest of us as soon as we get her distracted jump in with your own attacks?"

"Sounds like a plan," Franky smirked. "We'll attack her from different sides. Once that's successfully pulled off, you slap the cuffs on her. Good luck, pal."

"Same to you!" Shachi said as they put their plan into action. "Let's go, guys!"

"Right!" The Heart Pirates shouted as they picked up their speed. Finally, they caught up with her.

"Hello!" The Warper smiled before using the forest to attack the Heart Pirates. A vine snapped out and whacked a pirate into a tree.

"Remember it's not real!" Shachi cried out.

"Felt real enough to me," The Heart Pirate said as air refilled his lungs. Shachi closed his eyes and envision how Neo would use the plants around her. He peaked open an eye and noticed the plants were responding to his will. The two clashed in battle to see who had the stronger mind.

"Not bad," The Warper said, dodging a vine. "I didn't expect you to have this much control over your mind. I guess you humans can learn after all."

"Too bad we can't say the same about your kind," A Heart Pirate said.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" The Warper frowned.

"This isn't the first time you've manipulated people," Shachi said. "Or is that incorrect?"

"Hm," The Warper tilted her head. "It's true. I won't lie about that."

"You were stopped then and you'll be stop now," Shachi replied.

"Back then the Elemental ruler was strong. A lot stronger than your precious, delicate little princess you're sheltering now," The Warper smirked.

"Neo's a lot stronger than you think she is," Shachi said. "She'll stop your queen."

"You think so?" The Warper chuckled. Just then the rest of the group charged in.

"Strong Right!" Franky cried out. He smashed his first right into the back of the Warper.

"Ah!" The Warper cried out as she slammed into a tree.

"Nice hit, Franky!" Brook cheered.

"Yes, I will admit it," The Warper said as she picked herself up. The crews advanced on her. "You are more than we expected. But are you sure your princess will be able to handle our queen?"

"What are you babbling about?" Shachi asked as he pulled out a pair of cuffs.

"Our queen is very strong. And she will be facing off with your princess before too long. It's only a matter of time. And our queen will not go back without a fight. Being locked up in that prison for so long hasn't helped us, mentally speaking," The Warper said.

"Huh? What are you talking about? Are you saying you've all gone insane or something?" Franky asked.

"Maybe," The Warper smirked. "How would you feel if you were forced to spend years upon years in confinement? Unable to use your natural abilities?"

Shachi gritted his teeth. His mind snapped back to when their captain brought Neo to the ship and when she started training. Not using her magic had done some damage to her. It was only because of Law and them and their encouragement that she started to heal and become her own person.

"Our queen will fight to the death," The Warper continued. "Is your _princess_ ready to kill someone to protect her family?"

"Shut up!" Shachi clenched the cuffs. "Neo…she won't…"

"Did I hit a nerve?" The Warper smiled. "I know you humans have no issues will killing, but what about _her_? How will _she_ handle i-?"

 **WHAM!**

 __"Shut up all ready!" Franky said after he punched the Warper unconscious. "It doesn't matter. We will finish off your people and lock them up."

"Shachi," Brook called. "The cuffs."

"Oh, right," Shachi walked over to the Warper and placed the cuffs on her. She disappeared. A somber mood fell over the Heart Pirates.

"Hey, don't let that witch's words get you down," Franky said. "We won't let anything happen to Neo."

"But she's right," Shachi said. "Neo might very well have to fight to the death with that woman. But she won't be able to kill her. That will put Neo's life in danger."

"No, it won't, my friend," Brook said comfortingly. "We all are going to be right by her side when she has to face the Warper Queen. If dead is to come, it won't be Neo's and it won't be by Neo's hand. Mr. Traffy and Luffy won't allow that to happen. Neither will we. I will slay the Warper Queen myself if need be."

"He's right, Shachi," A Heart Pirate said. "None of us are going to let Neo kill or be killed."

Shachi took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Right. I know. Let's head back now."

…

"Huh?" Everyone looked up at the monkeys when they suddenly stopped using the Kid Pirates a toys.

"Guess they did it," Nami said.

"Let's go, Chopper," Neo snapped out her wings. Chopper jumped into her open arms and she flew them up to the monkeys. "Hello, little monkeys."

The monkeys turned to them. Kid, who was hanging upside down from one of the monkey's hand, spotted Neo and Chopper at that point. "Get lost! This is _my_ fight!"

"And you're doing such a wonderful job of getting free," Chopper grumbled.

"Hey, aren't you part of the Straw Hats and Heart Pirates?" Killer asked.

"Uh, hey," Neo nodded timidly while remembering the last time she was near these two.

"Just get us down from here!" Heat shouted.

"No! Leave us alone, woman!" Kid snapped.

Neo ignored them and flew higher. "Um, excuse me, but could you please release them? They don't really mean any hard. And it's not your fault you are doing this to them."

The monkeys shrieked and stomped their feet. Chopper glanced at Neo. "They're not going to listen to us. The Warpers got them so confused right now. If only we had something to feed them. That might calm them down."

"I can do that," Neo said. She summoned her earth crystals and created a bunch of bananas. "I can't make them very large, but at least I can make some."

The monkeys immediately took interest in the bananas. They dropped the Kid Pirates, literally. The pirates fell. Neo gathered them in her winds and lowered them to the ground. Kid cursed the monkeys, Chopper and Neo. "Stupid baboons! I should kill you! And you two for interfering in our fight!"

Kid started to stalk up to Neo and Chopper when they landed on the ground. Law leaped in front of Neo. "Don't you dare touch her, Eustass!"

"Trafalgar! Get out of my way!" Kid hissed.

"So I'm guess I was right in my assumption that you are involved with Trafalgar Law," Killer said while looking at Neo. Neo flinched and stepped behind Law. She wasn't sure if she should actually answer that.

"Yes, she is," Law replied for her. "And I will not tolerate you people hurting her. I'm well aware of what happened the last time you saw her, Eustass."

"The last time?" Kid looked at Neo. He started walking up to her again. "You're that brat that set my coat on fire!"

"Stay back!" Law warned. He held up his hand to form his Room. He stopped when Kid lifted into the air.

"Hey?! What the heck is going on?!" Kid demanded.

"I'm sorry," Neo said as she stepped out from behind Law with her wind crystals out. "We don't have time to fight."

"She's right," Robin nodded. "We need to move on from here. And we could use their help."

"Just great," Law grumbled.

"She's right, Law," Neo placed her hand on Law's arm to calm him down. "Think of our son and Penguin."

"Son?" Kid blinked at Law. "Since when do _you_ have son?"

Law glared at Kid. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Let's just tell them and get it over with."

Neo nodded and they told the Kid Pirates what was going on. Once the story was over the rest of the Straw Hats and Heart Pirates had joined them. Killer rubbed his chin. "That's insane."

"This is stupid," Kid huffed. "But fine. We'll help you since you obviously can't handle this yourselves. You're such babies."

"Charming," Nami rolled her eyes.

"Let it go, Law," Neo said when Law started to go on the attack.

"So where do we get some of these cuffs you were telling us about?" Heat asked.

"Well, I guess we can give you some of ours," Shachi said while digging into the bag. But before he pulled any out, another bag, identical to the one he was carrying, dropped in on them. "I guess they're watching our progress."

"That's good," Neo nodded. "This way they can have their own bag that will refill just like ours."

"We'll do what we can." Killer grabbed the bag as the rest of his crew started to head back to their ship. He paused and looked at Neo. "Neo, was it?"

Neo swallowed when Killer turned his attention back to her. Law stepped in front of her and glared at Killer. Killer smirked from behind his mask. "I know we are technically enemies, who are only teaming up temporarily, but I truly do hope you get your son and crew mate back safely."

"Uh," Neo blinked in confusion. She could tell he was being sincere. "Thank you."

Killer then nodded and turned to catch up with his crew.


	45. No Snow Fun

No Snow Fun

"I hate this," Neo sighed, releasing a puff of her breath into her cold surroundings. She didn't like doing nothing. She never was a fan of fighting, but really didn't like the fact that she couldn't help her family and friends in this situation. She and Law were standing on a cliff of a snowy island that was home to a tribe of polar bear minks, much to Bepo's delight. They were looking over the snowy land below them. The crews were down below them chasing after a small group of Warpers.

"I know you do," Law squeezed her hand. "But they are doing fine. It'll be over soon."

They've been after this group of Warpers for almost a week now and never got anywhere close to catching them. Law eventually figured out that it was because they were using the snow and being able to sense Neo's presence to their advantage. So they always had the upper hand. Law decided to order Neo out of the battle, had some crew members and polar bears hide in the snow, while the others moved in for a fake attack. They were herding the Warpers into an ambush.

Luffy was using his gatling gun to smash a blizzard of snow balls coming for them. Zoro was slicing them up. Sanji was kicking them rapidly. Usopp and Nami was firing at them with their weapons while the rest of the crews, plus some other mink polar bears, were slowly sneaking upon the Warps from all directions. The crews were covered with white blankets to help them blend in.

"We really appreciate the help you're giving us," Dina, a female polar bear mink, said as she walked over to Neo and Law. She was a few inches shorter than Bepo, dressed in unnecessarily warm clothes. She was also the one the crews were staying with. That happened after the crews saved her nephew and several other cubs from a Warper.

"We were passing by this spot anyway," Law shrugged.

Dina gave Law a questioning look. Neo gave the female bear a light smile. She wrapped her arm around Law's. "He's just like that. We're happy to help you all."

"You're very sweet, Princess," Dina said.

"You don't have to call me princess, Dina," Neo said. "I gave that up long ago to be with my family."

"But you are still a princess," Dina smiled.

"She's right," Law said. "Just because you didn't assume the throne doesn't mean you're not a princess. Besides, your people still treat you like the royal you are."

"I suppose so," Neo nodded. She leaned against Law's side and poked him in the ribs. "You, specifically, do still treat me like one. Especially when we're alone."

Law's cheeks tinted pink when Dina snickered. He growled as he pulled his arm from Neo's and wrapped it around her waist. "You hush. The Warpers are almost to the trap."

Neo giggled then turned her attention back to the land below them. Luffy's group closed in on the Warpers. At the right moment, Neo summoned her wind crystals. She blended her wind into the wind that was already blowing then, with a signal shot from Usopp, Neo trapped the Warpers in her winds and the other group leaped out from their hiding spots and slapped the cuffs on the Warpers. Neo sighed when the Warpers disappeared. When she sneezed, Law tightened his hold on her. "Let's get you back inside before you get sick."

Neo wrapped her winds around the three of them and lowered them down to the rest of the group. Usopp sneezed multiple times and whined. "I hate all this snow! I'm going to get sick!"

"I love it!" Luffy grinned. He threw out his arms and gathered up a lot of snow and started to form it into a large ball. "We can build snowmen!"

"I wanna help!" Chopper said. He transformed into his human form and started to help Luffy round out the first part of their snowman.

"I just wanna get back inside and drink some hot chocolate," Nami said. She rubbed her hands on her arms.

"Hot chocolate does sound wonderful," Robin said.

"Right away, my sweets!" Sanji cheered. With hearts pounding in his eyes, he took off towards the house they were staying in while on this island. "I'm run ahead and get it started!"

"He's so funny," Dina giggled.

"She's so cute when she laughs," Bepo sighed with pink cheeks.

"Yeah and if…" Shachi's voice trailed off. He sighed. "Man, I'm too worried about Penguin and Cora to even bother teasing Bepo."

"I know what you mean," A Heart Pirate patted Shachi on the shoulder. "We can tease him later when Penguin and Cora are back with us."

…

"Mmm. Yummy!" Luffy cried just after polishing off his mug of hot chocolate. "That was great!"

Neo snuggled into Law's side as the group chattered on. She looked at her friends and family over before closing her eyes. After two short seconds, Neo snapped her eyes open. "There's another Warper!"

Just as Neo got the last word out of her mouth, a strong gust ripped the roof off their house. Wind and snow whipped into the room. The pirates and bears tried to anchor themselves down as the Warper appeared in the room. She was taller, and looked older, than the Warpers they had come across. She glared at Neo. " _You!_ Are coming with me, you traitor to the magic world."

Before Neo could summon her crystals, the Warper knocked Neo back against a wall, knocking her out. Law tried to run over to her, but the wind kept him pinned in place. "Neo!"

The Warper picked Neo up with the wind and headed back out in the storm. Dina managed to get free and leaped up. She grabbed onto Neo and flew away with them. The Warper growled. "Let go!"

"You let go!" Dina snarled. The Warper flew down to the bear. She kicked out her foot at the furry creature. Dina grabbed her ankle and bit down on it.

"Ah!" The Warper screamed and released her two prisoners.

Dina wrapped her arms around Neo, holding her close as they plummeted from the air. When the hit the trees below, Dina tried to grab onto a branch to stop their fall. Each branch just kept breaking, but it did slow their fall. They ended up falling into a river. Dina kept her hold on Neo as they hit the water and floated down stream. _Good thing I'm such a good swimmer. Hold on, Neo. I'll get you out of here._

Dina broke the surface with a gasp. She pulled herself and Neo out of the water. She placed her paw on Neo's cheek. "Neo?"

Neo didn't respond, but she was breathing. Dina sighed with relief. "At least she's still breathing. I better get you out of her and into shelter."

Dina looked up at the stormy sky. "I don't think that storm is just an illusion from the Warper. Come on."

Dina slipped her arms under Neo's unconscious form. She lifted her up and headed for a nearby cave she knew about. Once inside the cave, as far away from the entrance as they could get, Dina laid Neo down on the floor and started to gather up wood that had been stored in the cave. She had the wood piled together when she realized something. "Oh great! I don't have my supply sack with me!"

"I…I can light it," Neo said as she struggled to sit up.

"Your wake? I'm glad, but you really should lay still. You could have a concussion," Dina said.

"Better than hypothermia," Neo replied. She struggled as she summoned a fire crystal. After a couple tries, Neo finally got her crystal to come out. She shot a spark to the wood and it caught fire. "Besides, I married a doctor. I'd know if I had a concussion."

"Good point. We should also get you out of those wet clothes. I'll use this world's ability to put some clothes on you until yours are dried," Dina nodded. She help Neo remove her wet clothes. "Well, now that the fire's lit and you're undressed and sort of redressed, you should rest. We're not going anywhere in this storm. And no one else is either, including that Warper. Unless she's stupid enough to try."

"She could possible be," Neo said. She laid back down. "She can still sense me after all. She could use that to find us, even through a storm. I'm like a beacon that way. By the way, thanks for saving me."

"No need to thank me. I'm glad to help you. You've helped us after all. And if that Warper does show up, I'll protect you to the best of my ability. While you're resting, I'll practice some more on controlling the surrounding area with my mind. We'll be fine."

"Yeah," Neo lightly nodded. She had several fire crystals out to help warm them up. She stared up at the ceiling of the cave. She stared at it for several minutes, thinking of Law. When she knew she was out of hypothermia danger she allowed her eyelids to fall closed. She knew Law would want her to rest in a situation like this.

Dina smiled at Neo. Once Neo was asleep, Dina turned her attention to controlling the world around her.

…

"We have to go after her!" Law growled at the bear blocking his way.

"I'm sorry, but you can't," Dane, Dina's brother, said. He was holding out his paws, blocking the pirate captain from going out into the storm.

"Get out of my way!" Law hissed.

"No!" Dane shouted. Law released a dangerous growl and began to form his Room.

"Captain, please!" Shachi pleaded. "I understand that you want to go after her, but we can't in this storm. We'll get lost. Plus that Warper is still out there."

"Neo was knocked out," Robin pointed out. "If she wasn't, she'd be able to make this storm dissipate. We have to assume that something preventing her from using her crystals, at least on a large scale base. She's with Dina. Dina will keep an eye on her."

"Robin's right," Nami said. "We're better off just waiting out the storm. Neo's going to be fine. Dina _is_ with her. And she knows this area very well."

Law turned away from them and growled. He knew they were right. It would be stupid for any of them to go out in this storm.

…

"Hn," Neo turned her head multiple times in her sleep. Dina was sitting beside her with a worried expression on her face. Neo had gotten a fever from their fall in the water. "Law…"

"This is just great. You have a fever now," Dina grumbled. She checked on Neo's clothes. "Your clothes are still a bit wet. But don't worry, Neo. You're going to be fine. I'll help keep you warm. My fur always dries very fast."

Dina moved Neo's clothes closer to the fire so they could continue on drying. She then moved back over to Neo and laid beside her to help keep her warm. Neo whined in her sleep again and called out for Law. "Hn…Law…Law…"

"It's all right, Neo. You'll be back with him once this storm is over," Dina insisted to her unconscious friend.

Dina stayed near Neo and worked on her mental manipulations. Once Neo's clothes had dried completely, Dina put them back on her. "So this is where you've been hiding."

"Great," Dina snarled at the Warper. "I didn't even notice the storm was dying down. But I won't let you take Neo!"

"You think you can defeat me? All on your own?" The Warper laughed.

"I won't let you touch her!" Dina bared her fangs.

"Die, bear!" The Warper shouted. She conjured up a ton of ice spiked and fired them at Dina.

Dina summoned up a wall of ice between them. The ice shards sunk into the wall with thuds. Dina then used the wall and slammed it against the Warper. "Take that!"

"You won't defeat me, bear!" The Warper hissed. She summoned balls of ice and fired them at Dina. Dina matched her step by step. With each ice ball that flew at her, Dina fired one back. "What the heck?! You're just a bear! How are you able to keep up with me?!"

Dina chuckled. "I grew up with _five_ brothers. We did nothing but try to take each other down in sneak attacks. That took up a lot of time planning. I'm use to it. Fighting you head on like this is easy. Only a little practice was needed on learning how to manipulate this world you've all had created. I love it!"

"But this is _my_ world! I reign supreme here! You wont win!" The Warper hissed.

"I don't have to _win_. I just have to keep you _distracted_ ," Dina smiled.

"Distracted for what?" The Warper asked. A second later, a huge gust of wind knocked the Warper into the wall of the cave. The cave wall dented in and crumbled as the Warper fell to the ground.

"It worked! Good job, Neo!" Dina cheered.

"We just got…luck I was able to focus enough to us my crystals," Neo struggled to keep herself sitting up. She could only do it for a few second before having to lay back down. "Let's just hope the others find us before she wakes up. We don't have any cuffs with us, remember? I don't think I'll be able to fight like that again if she does wake up."

"Well, the storm is almost gone. My brother Dane is no doubt all ready leading the others here. He knows this area as well as I do. They'll find us in no time at all," Dina said.

"Dina, take me outside," Neo said as she struggled to sit up again.

"What for?" Dina asked. She stepped back over to Neo and gave her support. "You shouldn't be up."

"We can't take that chance. The Warper could wake up any second. I think I have enough strength to send Law a signal," Neo explained.

"It's not a good idea. With this fever you really shou-"

"Dina, please," Neo pleaded.

"All right," Dina sighed. "I suppose there's no point in trying to talk you out of this."

Dina pulled Neo into her arms and carried out of the cave. Neo struggled, but managed to summon her fire crystals again. She shot a blast of fire into the air. Dina kept looking up. "Are you sure they can see that?"

Just then a blast, from Usopp, shot through the air. Dina tilted her head. "I guess that's a yes. Your friends are amazing. Let's get you back inside the cave now."

"Right," Neo said as her eyes drifted closed.

….

"Where could they be?" Brook asked as they all looked around.

"I don't smell my sister around here," Dane said. "We should move on."

Law clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He turned to follow after the rest of the group when Franky shouted out. "Hey! There's some fire! I bet it's from Neo!"

"Usopp, you should fire a signal back to let her know we see her," Sanji said while puffing on his cigarette.

"Roger that," Usopp said. He pulled out his sling shot and fired a blast into the air.

"Let's get going all ready," Law said, impatient as ever.

"I know that area well," Dane said as they all ran off in that direction. "There's a cave over there with some wood stored inside. I bet that's where they are."

Several minutes later, Dane lead them right to the cave. Dina smelled them and went outside to great them. She waved her arms. "Hey!"

"Where is she?!" Law demanded.

"Inside," Dina jerked her thumb to the cave. Before she could say anything else, Law ran past her. "There's a Warper inside too. You better put those cuffs on her before she wakes up."

"Right!" Shachi said as he ran into the cave. He slapped the cuffs on the Warper then looked over at Law and Neo.

"Neo?" Law lifted Neo and laid her against his chest.

Neo slowly opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile. "Hey…"

…

"Do you really have to leave so soon?" Dane asked.

"Yeah," Neo said. Law was holding her in his arms as they said their goodbyes to their new friends. It was a few days after Neo and Dina fell into the water. Neo's fever had broken quickly with Law's pampering and with the help of her solar crystal, but Law was still hovering over her. "I wish we could stay a little bit longer, but we really need to get a move on. We have a lot of work to do."

Dane nodded. "Yeah, I understand. Hopefully we can see you all again."

They turned to Dina and Bepo. The two bears were being all snuggly with each other while promising to meet again someday. Eventually, they parted from each other and the two crews boarded their ships and left the island. Neo, now dressed in a dark blue hoodie of Law's, watched Bepo moping in the rec. room. She felt bad he finally met a female bear, liked her but didn't get to spend much time with her. She walked over to him. "Bepo, I'm sorry."

"What for?" Bepo asked. He looked up at her and blinked.

"Well, it's my fault that you didn't get to spend much time with Dina," Neo said.

"Don't talk like that. It's not your fault. Actually, because of you, I got to meet Dina," Bepo smiled at her. "If this whole Warper thing didn't happen then I might not have meet her at all. So don't go blaming yourself for this. Besides, we'll eventually see her again."

"I never thought of it that way," Neo tapped her chin.

"How's Cora doing?" Bepo asked.

"Wanna check on him together?" Neo asked. When Bepo nodded, Neo sat down beside him and opened the compact. The two leaned against each other and watched Cora sleeping.

The two flinched when they heard Law clear his throat in a warning manner. They looked up at him, with guilty expressions. Neo was supposed to be resting in their room, not wondering the sub. Law crossed his arms and looked at her with a stern expression. "You should be in bed. I told you I wanted you to rest."

"Yes, sir," Neo stood up. She walked over to him and pushed upon her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But I was lonely in there without you. You know if you really want me to stay in bed, you need to be with me."

Bepo snickered at Law's inability to stay in control when Neo wants something from him.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" Law twitched.

"Hm, maybe a little bit," Neo teased. "I'm still a bit cold. You really should come back with me and snuggle very, very close to me."

"All right. You win," Law pecked her forehead. He picked her up and carried her back to their room leaving behind a still snickering Bepo.

 **FUTURE CHAPTER(s) NOTICE: I should know more this week, but the next chapter(s) 'might' be delayed. I'm having a bit of an issue that might require surgery (not gonna go into details). I hope not. Surgeries are not fun and there's always the chance you 'won't' wake up from them. This is just a notice in case I disappeared for a while, or forever :/ Just didn't wanna leave ya'll hanging if something does happen. Good Lord I hope it get resolved without surgery. T.T**

 **Thanks everyone for the reviews, likes, follows and well wishes.**

 **PuddyKatz: I know! I still can't believe she had a baby too. I really love how her character has developed. And she just gets better, even more so with the rewrite.**

 **Apple Bloom: My exact thoughts "Enemy of my enemy" thing.**


	46. Donquixotes

Donquixotes

"At least there's not a Warper here," Nami stated as she looked around. She, Robin, Neo and Law were walking through one of the towns that inhabited the island they were currently on.

Neo had sensed part of her homeland. They found the area, but no Warper appeared to be on this island. They all agreed they could use a couple days off their ships. Neo was using the surrounding fracture of her home island to try and connect to the heart of Luminous, but it wasn't working. She was becoming frustrated with herself.

As a distraction, Nami and Robin decided to drag Neo into town for some shopping. Law, who didn't want to leave Neo's side, followed along. The rest of their group divided up and did whatever interested them. Some wondered off to a local tavern, some stayed behind at their fractured Luminous campsite, while some went fishing.

"I find it interesting that everyone is so calm on this island," Robin exclaimed as she looked around at the people. The people had somehow figured out how to work the dreamlike world their currently in.

"They wouldn't be if they knew the reason behind why all this is possible," Neo said while looking at the town. The towns people had used the dreamlike state to enhance several aspects of their town. They made their run down buildings new, grew fresh fruit and vegetables, created animals to help till the soil. "I just feel so bad that once this mess is over they're gonna loose all of this. This island isn't very prosperous. I can feel the soil really isn't good for planting. And there's never much rain here either."

"You should use your crystals to help them," Nami suggested. "You can enrich the soil, grow some food and such."

"We could also create a system where they can gather and store what rain water they do get here," Robin added.

"That's a great idea! Franky would be good with that!" Nami smiled. "Since we're taking a break here that'll give the boys something to do so they'll stay out of trouble!"

"I guess so. It might help make things better," Neo look at Law, but he didn't return the gaze. He was staring off in another direction. But what concerned Neo was the color had drained from his face. "Law, what is it?"

"You look like you've just seen a ghost," Nami said.

"I…I think I just did," Law choked out.

"What do you mean?" Neo asked.

"I thought I just saw Corazon," Law swallowed.

"Our son?!" Neo asked in a panic.

"No, I mean Rosinante…Doflamingo's brother," Law tightened his hold on Neo's hand. Without another word, and without releasing her hand, Law took off towards the man who looked like Corazon. Nami and Robin exchanged looks then followed after them. They came to a sudden halt when they found who Law as looking for. "It…It can't be…"

The women looked at the blonde man that Law was staring at. He was sitting on a crate. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it and himself on fire. Law's eyes widened. "It is him."

Neo summoned her water crystals and put out the fire on Corazon's shoulder. Corazon patted his now wet shoulder then looked up at them. "Oh, thanks, young miss. But it wasn't necessary. I'm a klutz. I do that all the time."

"It's you," Law said again. He pulled Neo along and walked closer to Corazon. Corazon raised his eyes to Law. "It is you. But how?"

"Hm?" Corazon stared at Law and blinked a few times.

"Well, you did say that Empress Futura said this was possible," Robin said.

"So then, this is the _real_ Corazon?" Nami asked.

"I guess so. Trafalgar would know," Robin replied.

"Law?" Neo asked. With her free hand, she tugged on his sleeve and looked up at him. "Is it really him?"

"It's him," Law nodded. "I'd know him anywhere. Your back... Cora, your back!"

"Do I…" Corazon took a closer look at Law. He ran his dark eyes carefully over Law's facially features and body. "It can't be…Law?! You're an adult? How is that possible?! You're just a kid!"

"Cora!" Law leaped forward and hugged the man with tears in his eyes. "I can't believe it! You are really here!"

"Law?" Corazon blinded in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Oh man, I have so much to tell you," Law said pulling back from the older man.

"Be careful, Trafalgar," Robin warned. "Revealing too much could cause problems to the time stream."

"I know," Law nodded. "But I can't keep silent about _everything_."

"Uh, Law?" Neo spoke quietly. She was unsure of what to do in this situation. Law studied her for a few seconds before looking at Nami and Robin.

"Why don't you two head back to camp?" Law asked. The two women nodded without question. They then walked off leaving the remaining three behind. Neo watched them walk off before turning her eyes back to the men. She flinched when she caught Corazon's eyes. He was studying her with peaked interest, but also with caution. She dropped her eyes to the ground and collapsed her hands in front of her. She didn't move until Law walked back over to her. He slid his hand into hers. When she looked at him, he gave her a tender smile. She then allowed him to walk her over to Corazon. "Cora…This is Neo. She's my wife."

"You're married?!" Corazon's eyes popped open. He looked at Law then a Neo. He tossed his gaze between the two for several seconds before letting his eyes settle on Neo. A smile pulled a cross his lips. "I never would have thought you would have gotten married. But she's very lovely."

Neo's cheeks flushed at his words. With her free hand she grabbed onto Law's arm and leaned into him. Corazon tilted his head in confusion. Law chuckled lightly. He kissed her hair before speaking. "She's kinda shy around people she doesn't know. Just give her a few minutes to adjust to you being here."

"Um, okay," Corazon brought his eyes back to Law. "So you want to tell me what's going on? How is it possible that you're an adult? I just saw you a couple days ago and you were still a kid. And where the heck am I?"

"It's kind of a long story," Law rubbed the back of his neck. He looked around at the surrounding townspeople. He then pointed to the outer edges of town. "Let's fine a more private place to talk."

Corazon nodded. He stood up and the small group left the town for a more quiet setting. Once Law found a spot that suited his taste, they sat down. Neo curled against Law's side. He put his arm around her and kissed her hair again. She remained quiet in his embrace as he told Corazon what happened. He was carefully leaving out certain details, like when Corazon was going to die and that it was Doflamingo who was going to kill him.

Neo could easily sense Law wanted to tell the man everything in an attempt to save the man's life, but never did. Law knew, from experience with Pendulum, messing with time was never a good thing. Corazon was technically dead in their time and that was how it should stay. That's how it was going to stay, no matter how much it hurt Law.

"Wow!" Corazon exclaimed once Law was done speaking. "That's just crazy! Imagine it! _You_ have a son and are married!"

"Are you serous?!" Law shouted. Neo looked at him. She wasn't use to seeing him act so out of character. The only time she sees him like this is around Luffy. "Out of everything I've told you _that's_ what surprises you the most?!"

Corazon chuckled. "Yup. The rest isn't so farfetched considering the brother I have and all the devil fruits in the world."

Corazon shook his head and rubbed his neck. He then looked at Neo and Law. "I really can't believe this. You're a father and a husband. I'm happy for you both. You seem to make each other very happy. And I hope this little brat hasn't giving you too much trouble, young lady."

"Oh, um, you can call me Neo," Neo smiled lightly. "And no he hasn't. He's been very wonderful."

"I see," Corazon chuckled. It was a suggestive chuckle that made Law blush.

"Would you…like to see our son?" Neo asked. She clasped her hand around the compact.

"I'd love to," Corazon replied. Neo lifted the compact off her neck. She opened it and held it out to the man. He peered in the mirror and smiled. "He's a very handsome young man. You both must be very proud."

"We are," Law said confidently.

"So what now?" Neo asked. Both Law and Corazon considered her words.

"Well, it's not like I can get back to where I belong, at least at the moment. So, if it's all right, I might as well join you all," Corazon said.

Law nodded. "The more help we can get the better and faster this will go."

The three then stood up and headed back to their camp. They all knew they were gonna be bombarded with questions. And they were. The second they stepped into camp, Luffy asked multiple questions. Once all the questions had been asked and answered, Neo learned that Nami and Robin had already discussed their ideas on improving things for this island with Franky. The cyborg had pencils and papers out with a rough draft already draw on it.

"And this will work?" Neo asked looking at the draft.

"Of course it will," Franky smiled. "I've designed it after all."

"And we've already started," Usopp said, twirling a hammer.

"I'm just glad for the distraction," A Heart Pirate said. He and others were moving around logs they were gonna use.

…

"Wow!" Corazon exclaimed. He, taking a break from all the work they were doing, was sitting under a tree and watching Neo. She had her earth and water crystals out. She was working on enriching the soil on the island while the others were working on the system to gather and store rainwater. "She's a very impressive woman."

Law, who was also taking a break, couldn't help but smile proudly. The look didn't go unnoticed by Corazon. He snickered. "She certainly has your number."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Law scoffed.

"Don't try to pretend with me, _kid_. I know you well enough," Corazon smirked at him. "You've never been the type to let anyone tell you want to do, but you roll over for her at her simplest command. She doesn't even have to _ask_. All she has to do is _look_ at you and you fold. She's got you whooped."

Law growled when he couldn't stop his blushing. Corazon laughed. "You have a very powerful wife. She must be an incredible addition to your crew. It almost makes you indestructible."

Law sighed and his eyes softened. "In a way, I suppose it does. But Neo is too sweet and innocent to ever use her crystals to their full potential. And she will never kill anyone again, no matter what they do to her."

"I guess you're right," Corazon looked at Law then let his eyes wonder back over to Neo. "I wonder what she would have been like if she didn't have such a painful past."

"She might be more open with using her abilities, but I think she'd still be pretty much the same. I believe she'd always be kind and gentle in nature no matter how she grew up," Law said softly. Neo looked over at him at that point. She smile lightly and waved at him.

"She loves to know where you always are, doesn't she?" Corazon asked.

"Yeah," Law nodded. "She can't stand it when we're separated. I've become the stabilizing strength she needed to reclaim her life. She's done so well."

Corazon studied Law quietly for a while before speaking again. "I get the feeling that you can't stand being away from her either. You need her as much as she needs you."

Law didn't reply. He just looked Corazon before returning his gaze to Neo. Then Sanji called out to everyone. "Lunch is ready! Everyone! Come and get it!"

"Come and get it!" Celeste echoed. "Lunch is ready!"

"Great!" Brook cheered.

"I'm starving!" Usopp added. The two crews set down the tools they were using and headed towards the blonde cook.

Neo banished her crystals as she walked over to Law and Corazon. Law greeted her with a smile. "You're doing so well."

"Thanks," Neo smiled. "I think this is actually going to work. At least, it's going to help them a bit. I'm glad."

"Well, I'm glad this is making you feel better," Law tilted her chin and pressed his lips to hers. Corazon couldn't stop his snickering.

"What's up with him?" Neo asked after breaking their kiss.

"Nothing," Law grumbled. He slipped his arm around her waist and headed towards their lunch. "Just ignore him."

"Aw, don't be like that, Law," Corazon chuckled. "I think it's cute how lovey dovey she makes you. It actually suits you very well."

"Shut up!" Law hissed with burning red cheeks. Neo giggled at Law's embarrassed situation. Before she could say anything, strings wrapped around her waist and pulled her away from Law. "Neo!"

"Law!" Neo's scream caused the crews to pause and turn towards her. She was suspended in the air by strings around her torso, wrists and ankles as a familiar, disturbing laughter then rang out.

"It can't be," Luffy's exclaimed with wide eyes.

"What's going on?" Nami asked.

"I'm not sure what surprises me the most," Doflamingo said as he walked out from behind a tree. Law narrowed his eyebrows and clenched his fists. "The fact that I'm seeing my brother, who I know is dead…Or that you, Law, just kissed this woman. I never would have guessed you had a lover."

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Law hissed. He warped his sword to his hand and unsheathed it. The rest of the crews gathered around and stood ready for a fight.

"No!" Neo shouted. She summoned her crystals. Before she could use them, Doflamingo tightened his strings on her, cutting through her clothes and skin. Her scream pierced through Law's ears, making his heart seize up.

"Doflamingo! Release her at once!" Law demanded. He led the charge forward.

Neo opened her eyes to see her friends and family rushing towards Doflamingo. The memories of Law's wounds he got from fighting this man slammed back into her thoughts. Her heart rate increased and her crystals reappeared. Dark clouds rolled in. Thunder clapped, lightning flashed and struck several spots on the island, vines snapped, flowers grew, animals cried out and bared their fangs.

"No!" Neo cried out again. She created a huge gust of wind, knocking the crews and Doflamingo down. Now free, she snapped out her wings. She hovered near Doflamingo and glared at him. "You will not touch my family again!"

Doflamingo studied her carefully before laughing. "Well, aren't you an interesting one."

He tried to use his strings on her again. But she wouldn't allow it. Knowing about what was going on in the world right now added with her crystals, her knowledge of his powers and him not knowing what all she can do with hers, she had the advantage here. And she knew it. She used it to her advantage. She used the world's current state to trapped and disable Doflamingo's powers with as many sea stone cuffs as she could create.

"Wow! I never knew she could be so scary!" Brook said as they all watched in disbelief.

"Her fear of loosing Law is what's making this possible," Robin said.

"Well, fear is a powerful thing," Nami nodded.

"She's already had to face almost loosing Law once," Sanji said, puffing on his cigarette. "She's not going to let that happen again. We're just lucky he doesn't know what's going on here."

"Aw, I wanted to fight him again!" Luffy pouted. Both his crew and the Heart Pirates glared at him. "What?"

They turned back to the battle. After locking Doflamingo's body in the cuffs and shackles, Neo summoned a box made of the stone. She trapped him inside it. Using her crystals, she broke off a part of the island, placed the box on it and set him flying as far away from her family as she possible could. As the elements settled back down, Neo dropped to the ground.

"Neo!" Law dropped his sword and ran over to her. He kneeled down and pulled her into his arms.

"L-Law…I couldn't let you," She cried. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on to him as tight as she could. "I could let you fight. I couldn't do it. I couldn't…lose you…"

"Shh," Law stroked her hair, not caring about the blood she was getting on him. "I know, love. It's all right. Everything's fine now. I'm still here. Summon your solar crystal now. You need to stop the bleeding."

At first, Law didn't think she heard him. But her crystal appeared. Corazon walked over and squatted down. "So that's her solar crystal, huh?"

"Yeah," Law nodded. He paused before speaking again. "Look…about what Doflamingo said about you…"

"Don't worry about it," Corazon shook his head. "I always knew he'd kill me at some point considering I'm going to betray him. But I guess you already knew about my betrayal."

Law nodded. Corazon nodded back. "It must have been so hard for you. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Law shook his head. He picked her up then stood up. "I need to take care of her right now."

"Of course," Corazon nodded again.

"She okay?" Shachi asked as he, Bepo and the rest of the crews rushed over to them.

"She'll be fine," Law replied. "I'm going to take her to the sub for a while."

"Right." They all nodded in understanding.

"I'll bring you both something to eat in a while," Sanji said.

"Thanks," Law then carried Neo to the sub. He placed her on the exam table and took care of her injuries. He then took her to their room to cuddle with her. "Feeling better?"

"A little bit," She replied. "I was just so scared. I thought that…"

"I know. But it's over," Law tightened his hold on her. "You did very well. Doflamingo didn't know what hit him. I'll bet he'll think twice before messing with you again."

Law couldn't help but chuckle. Neo chuckled lightly as well. She tilted her head so she could look at him. "I'm glad Corazon's here."

"I'm glad he's here too." Law then leaned down and kissed her.

…

 **Author's Notes: Well, still here. No surgery 'yet'. I did have to have a small procedure that I had to be knocked out for (Now I got a lovely little bruise from the IV on my arm). What I thought was wrong was actually fine. It did, however, reveal another issue. I think I might have a hernia. :/ My doctor apparently is fairly concerned about it and has talked to a surgeon already so surgery might still be possible at some point. I'm getting a CT scan in a few days. That should reveal if surgery is going to happen or not.**

 **Thanks all for the support, well wishes and prays! Here some hugs for everyone!**

 **sarge1130: Thanks for pointing that mistake out. I didn't even noticed :/ I guess I was just so use to using Penguin since he's one of the three we know the names of. It's been fixed. :)**


	47. Shanks

Shanks

The crews stumbled around as the ground quaked beneath them. Neo, with her wings out, was hovering in the air. They battling against ten Warpers at the moment, all of them, but for one which was a child, were fairly old. So they had more experience in dealing with their mind manipulating environment than any of the Warpers they've faced before. And this was causing the pirates a lot of trouble. The Warpers, at this point, were doing nothing but toying with the pirates.

Neo summoned her wind crystals and lifted her family and friends into the air. This seemed to be all she could do. But the relief never lasted for long. The Warpers would attack her at the same time, causing her to loose her concentration and release her family and friends. One of the Warpers lifted a section of the ground so he could raise himself up and come face to face with Neo. "As much fun as we are having with you all, you're starting to get rather annoying. Time to move this game along."

Neo gritted her teeth and tried to trapped the Warper in an earth made prison. Using her mind, she raised the ground up around the Warper. The Warper just grinned and snapped his fingers. "Nope. Not gonna happened."

With ease, the Warper turned her plan against her. As he pulled the ground up around her, Law growled and charged with his sword pulled out. "Let her go!"

"Sorry, pal," Another Warper said. They gathered together and began to trap all of the pirates in earth domes. On a natural reaction, the pirates physically attacked the enclosing domes.

"Crap! We forgot again!" Sanji said just as the domes closed around them.

The Warper, focused on Neo, held out his closed hand to her. He grinned before opening his fist. Resting in his palm was a familiar powder. Neo's eyes widened. Before she could say or do anything the Warper blew the powder onto her face. Instantly, her vision blurred and she felt dizzy. The world around her went dark as he laughed and closed in the dome around her.

A few minutes later, the Warpers banished the domes around the pirates. They all stood in confusion at being suddenly free. Usopp blinked. "What the heck?"

"Why did they free us?" Nami asked.

"Something's up. Keep on your guard," Sanji said, puffing on his cigarette. Celeste nodded from the safety of his jacket pocket.

"Where's Neo?!" Law demanded.

"She's right here," The Warper who trapped her snapped his fingers. The only remaining dome opened up to reveal thirty Neos. "All you have to do is figure out which one is real."

The Warpers snickered.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Franky asked. "They all look the same."

"I know! Neo! Use your crystals!" Luffy shouted. All of them, summoned their crystals. "Huh? That was supposed to work!"

"You idiot!" Nami whacked Luffy on the head. "What part of 'you can create anything in this world' do you not understand?!"

"They're using this world to make multiple Neos," Robin explained to their dense captain. "But Trafalgar won't be fooled so easily. He's too connect with Neo for a trick like this to ever work."

"Right," Luffy nodded with a big grin.

"Not the smarted guy in the world, is he?" Corazon asked while leaning closer to Law's ear. Law didn't reply. He just continued to glare at the Warpers.

"Well, go on Mr. Traffy," Brook said.

"She's not here," Law said.

"Of course she is," The Warper laughed. "You just have to figure out whic-"

"Room! Shambles!" Law held up his hand. He then sliced his sword over all the Neos and Warpers. There was a collective gasped when none of the Neos and only five of the Warpers divided into two. "What did you do with her?! Where is she?!"

Before anyone else could say anything, Law unleashed his wrath on the Warpers. His mind worked so fast that not even the Warpers could keep up with him. He severed their bodies more, then before they could react, he used the manipulative powers of the world to disorient the Warpers. The one Warper, that trapped Neo, he only disoriented a little bit. He still had business with this one. While his subordinates placed the cuffs on the other Warpers, Law walked up to his current prey. He pressed the tip of his blade to the Warpers neck. " _Where?!_ _Is?!_ _She?!_ "

"You're insane if you think I'm tell you anything," The Warper grinned.

"Then _you_ have chosen your own fate," Law hissed. He then sunk his sword into the Warper's throat. As the life faded away from the Warper, Law leaned into his ear. "You will never touch her again."

"Dang," Corazon blinked rapidly. "I didn't think he could get so scary. Neo has done quiet a number on him."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Shachi whispered in a warning tone. "He'll turn Shambles on you too."

"That, I do not doubt," Corazon nodded.

"The other five Warpers must have taken her away somewhere while we all were trapped," Robin assumed. "It hasn't been that long since we were trapped. She should still be on the island somewhere."

Bepo sniffed the air. "I can't get a lock on her scent."

"We should spread out a bit to see if we can pick up her scent," Chopper said. Bepo nodded in agreement. The only two animals of the group quickly ran off in different directions. Law tapped his finger on his sword impatiently.

Minutes later, Chopper shouted out. "I found it! I found Neo's scent!"

"Took long enough," Law growled. "They better not have hurt her."

"Let's get going then," Corazon said. They all nodded then followed after Bepo and Chopper.

…

Neo panted lightly when her eyes opened to a blurry, unfamiliar ceiling. She kneaded her eyebrows and sat up. She looked around the room. The room only held a bed, a closet and a nightstand. It wasn't the Sunny and it definitely wasn't the sub. Before she could question her situation, the door opened up and two men walked in. They looked at each other at the same time. Her eyes widened. Through her blurry vision she was still able to recognize them immediately from their wanted posters. Red Haired Shanks and his first mate, Benn Beckman.

She scrambled back off the bed. Pressing her back against the wall, she moved along it until she was tucked into the farthest corner of the room. Her eyes darted over the room again. She was trapped. The only exit was on the other side of the two men in front of her. She wondered if she would be able to break out of the ship. But she wasn't sure if that was a good idea. Law had told her of this man's strength before. Attempting to escape could cause her problems. She knew she wouldn't be able to face up to this man and his first mate without help.

She tried to calm her panic breathing as she slid down to the floor of his ship. She flinched when Benn started talking. "She's kinda freaked out. I don't think she's going to calm down anytime soon."

"Possibly," Shanks said, stroking his chin. He then grinned. "But then, I'd be scared too if I woke up in a stranger's ship with two ugly men staring at me."

"Captain, please," Benn sighed at the hysterical laughter of his captain.

"Right, right," Shank composed himself and straighten his shirt. He then turned to his first mate. "I should talk to her in private then."

"So, you're really going to tell her then, huh?" Benn asked.

"She has a right to know. Go on now," Shanks ordered. Benn nodded and without another word, he left the room. Shanks watched him go before turning his attention back to Neo. He walked closer to her. When he was about seven feet from her, he stopped and sat down on the floor to be more eye level with her.

She avoided eye contact with him, but softly spoke up after a few minutes of silence. "What…What are you going to do with me?"

"Hm? What makes you think I'm going to do anything to you?" Shanks asks. He tilted his head and gave her an amused look.

"I'm your prisoner," She replied. She looked at him directly when he suddenly laughed.

"Forgive me, Princess," Neo twitched. She kneaded her eyebrows and wondered why he would call her that. There was no possible way he could know she was actually a princess. "If you were a prisoner on my ship you wouldn't be in my room."

" _Your_ room?" Neo darted her eyes around the room again. "But…why? I don't understand."

"You're here because you remind me of a woman I met years ago," Shanks replied. "Tell me something, who are your parents?"

"M-My parents?" Shanks nodded.

When it was obvious she wasn't going to speak, he spoke again. "You don't have to be afraid of me. My crew and I would never hurt a friendly _Elemental_."

Neo's eyes popped open. Shanks chuckled at her surprised look. "H-How did you know?"

"I can sense it," Shanks explained calmly. "I wasn't really sure at first when I saw you a while ago. You look so much like both your parents, Mira and Rylan. But then you used your crystals on those creatures that were chasing you, I knew who were really were."

"Creatures? The Warpers!" Neo's voice became urgent. "Where are they?! What happened?!"

"I knocked them out with my Haki. They're currently in our prison on my ship," Shanks said.

"That won't keep them under control if they wake up," Neo said. "We have to find my crew. They have cuffs that can stop them."

"I get the feeling the story behind those strange creatures is going to be a very long one. But you don't have to worry about those…Warpers, you said? I won't let them hurt you. Your parents would kill me if I did," Shanks said.

"Actually they won't," Neo replied softly.

"What do you mean?" Shanks blinked.

"They died protecting me when I was born," Neo replied. She bent her knees up to her chest and hugged them. Shanks eyes dropped to her hands. He locked onto the ring on her finger.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that they have passed away. They were very nice people," Shanks said softly.

"Thanks," Neo shifted.

"Trafalgar must be worried about you," Neo pulled her eyes back to him. Shanks shrugged. "People talk. Rumors are you are his lover. Is this true?"

Neo nodded. "We got married a few years ago."

"I see. Well, I hope he treats you well," Shanks said with a protective look in his eyes that she didn't understand.

"He does," She said with a softness in her eyes and voice. "Look, I really appreciate you helping me, but I really need to get back to my crew. Law's going to be furious that those Warpers took me away from him. I know he's at least kill one of them by now."

"I see," Shanks stroked his chin again. "Well, I'll return you to him then. But first, there's something you need to hear. It's about my relationship with your parents."

…

"YAH!" Chopper and Bepo suddenly screamed. They had gotten a little bit a head of the rest of their crews. They passed through some bushes and disappeared from the others views.

"What the heck is all the screaming for?" Usopp asked.

"It's an Emperor's ship!" The animal pirates shouted again. "And Neo's scent leads right to it!"

"What?!" They all screamed then rushed through the bushes.

"Hey! It's Shanks' ship!" Luffy smiled. "I can't believe I get to see him after so long! Oh, but this totally is against our promise! What do I do?!"

"Well, considering this meeting as a result of the Warpers interference, I think it's okay for you to see him. If that's what you want Luffy," Robin said.

"I don't know! I have to think about this!" Luffy plopped down on the ground and crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"He's going to be a while," Nami said. "We should go without him."

Law narrowed his eyebrows at the ship docked at the island before running towards it. The others, but for Luffy followed after him. When they got to the ship, Law didn't waste time in forming a Room and warping them all onto the deck. The Red Haired pirates that were on the deck looked at the intruders. Law pulled out his sword. "Where is she?!"

"You better watch that tone of you're, boy," Rockstar chuckled. "You're on an _emperor's_ ship."

"I don't care! I want her back! Right! Now!" Law hissed.

"Will you calm down?!" Usopp shouted. "We can't fight an emperor! By the way, hi, dad! It's been a while."

"Sure has," Yasopp nodded with a wave. "You sure have grown up a lot, son."

"I don't think he cares about who's ship we're on. And neither do I," Zoro said while pulling out his own swords. The rest of them pulled out their own weapons and stood in fighting form.

"He's insane," Corazon shook his head. "Seriously, what has she done to him?"

"Made him more scary," Shachi nodded. "But that's how he is when it comes to her safety. It's cute. But if he asks, I never said that cute part."

Just then a door opened, breaking through the tension. Shanks stepped out and examined the situation on the deck of his ship. Law turned his eyes and sword to the red haired man. Before any words, threats or demands could be made, Neo stepped out from behind Shanks. "Law!"

"Neo!" Neo broke from Shanks side and ran over to Law. She dove into his chest and wrapped his arms around his waist. He wrapped his sword free arm around her. He kept his eyes on Shanks for a while longer before looking down at Neo. "Neo, are you hurt? Did they touch you?"

"No, love, I'm fine," Neo pulled away so she could look at him. She cupped his face and pecked his lips. "Please, calm down now. They would never hurt me."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Franky said. "You know who these people are?"

"Yeah," Neo nodded. "I know who they are, but they _won't_ hurt me. They never will. And they won't hurt you all either."

"Maybe not _us_ since we're part of Luffy's crew, but you Heart Pirates don't have that luxury," Nami said. She twirled her baton.

"Luffy's here?!" Shanks asked with a huge smile. "Where? Where is he?"

"He's back on the beach," Sanji jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "He wasn't sure about coming to see you because of your agreement."

"I see," Shanks nodded. "Probably for the best."

"Listen, guys, there's something you all need to hear," Neo tried to speak, but her crew was too panicked to listen to her.

"Law, listen," Neo tugged on his shirt.

"It's okay, Neo," Law said, totally oblivious to how calm she actually was. "I won't let them hurt you."

"We need to get out of here, Captain," A Heart Pirate said. Law nodded. Keeping his arm around Neo, he slowly pulled her away from the Red Haired Pirates.

"Maybe you should tell them and get it over with," Benn said with a light chuckle. "I think they're about to bust."

Shanks nodded and walked up to Law. Law grabbed Neo and pushed her behind him. "Stay behind me, Neo."

"Uh, Law, really, I'm fine. And no one's going to hurt me here," Neo tugged on his shirt again.

"You better listen to her, Trafalgar Law," Shanks leaned down to Law's face. "Even you, her husband, won't be omitted from my wrath if you hurt my _goddaughter_."

"What?!" Everyone shouted.

Law didn't say anything. He just darted his eyes to Neo's. She shrugged. "Surprise, my love. I'm the goddaughter of an emperor. He knew my parents years ago. He met them after a storm blew his ship onto Luminous."

Law's sword dropped from his hand. It clanked against the floor. Neo grabbed onto Law's arm, worried he wasn't going to be able to keep his feet. She looked at Shachi. "There are some Warpers in the prison below. They need to be cuffed before they wake up."

"R-Right," Shachi nodded as he recovered from the shocking news they all just received.

"I'll show you how to get there," Lucky Roo offered.

Shachi paused in hesitation. Neo nodded at him. "It's okay, Shachi. They have orders to not hurt anyone I care about."

"O-Okay, Neo, if you say so," Shachi nodded, still unsure about this.

"I'll come with you," A crew mate said.

"I think a detailed explanation is in order," Robin said calmly.

"Probably," Shanks stroked his chin and took in Law's stunned expression. "Let's all sit down, shall we?"

The two crews exchanged looked, but did as the emperor suggested. Law, however, remained standing. Neo tugged on his arm. Without protest, she guided him down to the floor of the ship. His arms wrapped around her instinctively as she tucked into his side. He kissed her hair then glared at the Red Haired Pirates. Shanks chuckled at the young surgeon's protectiveness then proceeded to tell them the complete story of how he met Neo's parents one day.

Once his story was done, and the groups processed the information, they told the Red Haired Pirates about the Warpers and Neo's past. Shanks napped his knee. "I see. You have gone through so much turmoil. I'm sorry about your son and crew mate."

"Thank you," Neo replied. She gripped a hold of the compact as Law tightened his hold on her.

"If you can give us some of those cuffs, we'd be more than glad to help you on your mission," Benn said. Just then a couple bags of cuffs dropped in. He poked one of them. "You sure have made some interesting friends, young princess."

"Yeah," Neo nodded.

"I'm hungry!" Luffy suddenly cried out. "Sanji! Food!"

"Well, might as well get to making dinner," Sanji said as he stood up. "Would you all like to join us?"

"Sure," Shanks nodded.

"I'll help," The cook of the Red Haired Pirates stood up and joined the blonde cook.

A couple hours later, the Red Haired Pirates gathered up and returned to their ship. Shanks remained on the ground to speak with Neo before departing. He smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Your parents would be so proud of the strong, beautiful woman you've grown up to be."

"Thanks, Shanks," Neo blushed then looked at Law. "All the credit goes to Law. If it wasn't for him…Who knows what would have happened?"

"Indeed," Shanks turned to Law and held out his hand. "Thank you, young surgeon. You saved my goddaughter and have kept her safe and happy."

Law scoffed, but took the man's hand. "Your gratitude isn't necessary. I love her. Of course I'm going to keep her safe and happy."

Shanks tightened his hold on Law's hand. "And it better stay that way. Neo, if he does _anything_ that hurts you, just let me know and I'll take care of his sorry hide."

"Thanks, but that won't be necessary," Sensing a storm brewing between the two men, Neo placed her hands on Law's chest and pushed him back a bit. She kept herself between them. "He's a very good man and husband."

Shanks nodded then turned to leave. He paused and turned back around. "Neo, I have a bit of advice on finding your homeland."

"Yes?"

"Stop focusing so much on an island you have no real emotional connection to," Shanks said. "Instead, focus on what you _do_ have a connection to."

Neo tilted her head and blinked in confusion. After a minute, her eyes widened in realization. "Penguin…"

Shanks smiled then boarded his ship and left.

…

 **Author's Notes: Shanks and Neo's backstory will be better and be more detailed in the rewrite. It'll be a more official version of what really happens. That version wouldn't work with this story so I just stuck with the one I did in the one shot and reworked it a bit. Thanks for the reads and reviews!**


	48. Underwater

Underwater

Law sat quietly as he watched Neo. She was sitting on the ground with her legs cross and her hands resting on her knees. She had her eyes closed in concentration. Law glanced back over to their campsite. The two crews were still sitting where he had demanded them to. He wanted Neo to be able to focus. With so many around and as noisy as they often were, she wouldn't be able to. Especially if Luffy got his way and hung around.

"I found him! Luminous is south east of here! About a week, maybe a little over a week?" Neo's eyes popped open. Law turned his attention back to his love. "But how? Empress Futura said I needed to locate the heart of my homeland."

"Well, like Shanks said, you have more emotional attachment to Penguin than Luminous. It makes sense that you would be able to sense him easier than your homeland. I just wished I thought of it before," Law sighed. "Then you wouldn't have gone through so much pain."

"Law, don't," Neo shifted closer to him. She leaned into his chest and lightly tugged on a strain of his hair. "None of us have been thinking clearing since Penguin and Cora were taken. We know where they are now."

Law nodded. He raked his fingers through her hair and kissed her. "And we're going to get them back."

The two then stood up, intwined their fingers and walked back over to their friends. Luffy shouted out just before they got there. "WHAT?! SHANKS IS NEO'S GODFATHER?!"

"Yup," Usopp nodded.

"Seriously?!" Luffy looked at Neo.

"That's what he said. And I believe him. There's no reason he would lie about something like that," Neo said. She sat down with Law and leaned into his side. He kissed her temple then grumbled.

"I can't believe your godfather is an emperor. And Red Haired Shanks no less." Neo patted Law's knee.

"The captain's still in shock," Bepo said.

Nami grinned mischievously at Law. "I guess that makes you Shanks' Godson-in-'Law'."

Everyone busted up laughing at Nami's little joke on Law's name. Neo bit her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing while Law shot Nami an intense glare. Nami shrieked at the death glare and dove behind Luffy. Brook looked at the scared orange haired woman. "If you're just gonna hide, why make a joke about it?"

"Oh shut up!" Nami snapped.

"You all shut up!" Law hissed.

"Neo, calm him down! Please!" The Heart Pirates shrieked.

"Okay, okay, that's enough, all of you," Neo said to the pirates laughing at Law. She then turned to Law and cupped his cheek, pulling his eyes to hers. "Calm down, love. She didn't mean any harm."

Law grumbled under his breath and pulled her tighter to his side. She patted his cheek. "There, there, love. It'll be all right. You just need time to adjust to this new information. It is rather a lot to take in. I never would have guest I had a godfather."

"Yeah, yeah," Law mumbled as he relaxed.

"I still feel fairly shocked myself," Shachi said as he leaned back on his hands. "That just some crazy information to absorb, especially in our current situation. By the way, did you find Luminous?"

"Yes," Neo nodded. "It's south east of here."

"How much trouble do you think they're gonna cause now that you know where they are?" Corazon asked with a puff on his cigarette.

"Shouldn't be too much considering they _want_ Neo to come to Luminous," Robin replied. "But still, they might try to weaken Neo's forces by coming after the rest of us. We should be extra careful now."

"Well, not all of us," Zoro said. "They won't go after the weaker members of our group."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Nami shouted. She grabbed Zoro's cheek and pinched it hard.

"I just mean they know who our strongest fighters are," Zoro explained. "You weaker ones aren't worth their time."

"Shut up!" Nami, Usopp and Chopper shouted.

"But he does have a good point," Sanji said. "Our devil fruit users are the strongest among us. They're the ones who are going to be targeted the most, next to those of us who can use our minds and control this world better than certain others here."

All eyes drew over to Luffy. He ripped off a piece of the meat he was eating then replied to them. "What?"

"Nothing," The entire group sighed.

"They'll only go after him because he's a devil fruit user," Franky said and everyone nodded.

"All right," Law then said. "We need to get going."

The crews gathered up their stuff and headed for their ships. After a short discussion with the two navigators in the crew, they took off on their way to Luminous.

…

Neo was laying on her left side, fully awake. Law was also on his left side with his arm draped over her. She never noticed he was awake too. He tightened his arm around her and pulled her close. "You should be asleep."

"I know," Neo sighed. She gripped the compact so hard she through it was going to cut through her skin. "I just can't sleep. Not now that I know we're heading for Luminous now."

"Stop that," Law placed his hand on hers and pried her fingers loose from the compact. "I won't be happy if you make yourself bleed."

She sighed again and rolled over to face him. She pecked his lips. "I'm sorry, love. I'm just so…"

"I know, I know," Law nodded slightly as he rubbed her back. "I'm ready for this to be over with too. I don't like the fact that you're going to have to face that witch. I know she's going to separate us to try and fight you on her own. But, no matter what happens, I will find my way back to you. I _won't_ let you face her alone."

"Thanks, Law," Neo rubbed her hand on his bare chest. "I wouldn't be able to face her without you, especially since I might have to face her to the death."

"Don't think about that. If it comes to killing her, you know I'll do it for you," Law stroked the back of his fingers over her cheek and leaned down towards her lips. "Now, let me help you get some sleep."

Neo hummed as Law captured her lips with his and straddled over her body. He kissed her deeply before trailing kisses across her jaw and down to her neck. Hitting her soft stop, she arched her body into him. "I thought you were going to help me sleep."

"Oh, I am," Law chuckled deeply. "But we _have_ to have some _fun_ before sleep will come."

"Hm, you're being naughty again," Neo tugged a strained of his hair.

"You know you love it," Following her signal, Law lifted up and kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck while he dragged his hands down the sides of her body. He grabbed the bottom of her shirt and started to pull it up.

Suddenly, Law went limp. Neo gasped when she noticed his eyes had turned completely white. She tried to gasp again, but stopped when she noticed him floating above her instead of falling onto her body. Bubbles left her mouth. She covered her lips when she realized they were underwater.

She shook her head, realizing it was a Warper trick. She took a deep breath, refilling her lungs. "It's just an illusion. Law! Wake up! It's not real!"

Their room faded away from her. Floating in the water, Neo raised up to Law and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Law, wake up! Please! This isn't real! Can't you hear me?!"

Neo's heart rate sped up. This sneak attack had too deep of a hold on his mind. She had to break it and fast before he started to believe he was really underwater. She took a hold of his cheeks and kissed him deeply. _Come on, Law! WAKE UP!_

Neo began to glow like she did when she first connected with Law. She felt herself filter through the hollowness of his darkened mind. She summoned her solar crystal and lit up his mind. Within his thoughts, she found him, floating among memories of his life. One by the memories started to fade away. _"Is he dying? No! I won't let you go!"_

Neo swam over to him as fast as she could. She took ahold of his shoulders and pulled him into a more up right position. She cupped his cheek. A single tear rolled down her cheek when it seemed like she wasn't going to be able to reach him. _"You can hear me, can't you, Law? Please, come back to me, love. I need you. Don't leave me."_

Neo closed her eyes. He wasn't responding to her at all. She leaned against him and cried. _"Law, please…I've already lost Penguin and our son…I can't loose you too."_

Neo gasped when Law wrapped his arms around her. She lifted up from his chest and looked at him. _"Don't cry, love. I'm not going anywhere."_

 _"Law!"_ Neo threw her arms around his neck. _"I was so scared that I lost you!"_

 _"You're never gonna lose me. I'm sorry I scared you like that,"_ Law said, tightening his hold on her. After a few seconds, they pulled apart. He brushed her tears away and pecked her lips. It was at the point they noticed they were out of his mind and back in the ocean. He felt himself loosing strength again.

"Stay strong, Law. This is just a Warper trick. We're not really in the ocean," Neo tightened her hold on him, afraid he was going to leave her again.

"Right," Law nodded. "I'm fine now. But they might not be."

Neo turned around when Law looked over her shoulder. Luffy, Brook, Chopper, Robin and Corazon were also in the ocean like environment.

"Shoot! We have to wake them up!" Neo and Law swam over to their devil fruit empowered friends.

"Agreed, but you are _forbidden_ to kiss them like you did me," Law smirked at her.

"Law! I would never!" Neo's face flushed. He chuckled then turned his attention to waking up their friends. Neo attended to Chopper and Robin while Law dealt with Luffy, Brook and Corazon. She placed a hand on both Robin and Chopper's shoulder. "Robin, Chopper, wake up. This isn't real. You're not underwater. Listen to my voice. Warpers did this to you."

"Hm," Robin round her head a couple times before opening her eyes.

"Thank goodness," Neo smiled, relieved that the dark haired woman woke up fairly easily. Chopper was another story. He was harder to reach. "Come on, Chopper. Please wake up. What do we do?"

"Hm," Robin hummed while rubbing her chin. She leaned close to Chopper's ear. "Chopper, if you wake up right now, I'll give you cotton candy."

"Cotton candy?!" Chopper's eyes returned to normal. He flailed his arms and legs wildly. "Where?! Where?! I want some! Please!"

"Sorry, Chopper, I don't really have any," Robin smiled apologetically.

"Oh," Chopper pout but then realized they weren't on the Sunny. "Where are we?"

"In a Warper's trap. I'm so glad you're finally awake," Neo replied pulling Chopper into a hug. She turned back to Law. He had yet to wake the boys up. "Um, Law? Aren't you going to wake them up?"

"I tried. They won't wake up. So…" He nodded. Before anyone could question what he was thinking, Law punched Luffy, Brook and Corazon on their heads. "Wake up, you idiots!"

"Ouch!" They cried. "What the heck was that for?!"

"For being stupid," Law scoffed.

"Where are we?" Corazon asked, looking around their watery environment. There was nothing around them but water. "This is very odd."

"In an illusion," Law replied. "Warpers tried to kills us by putting us underwater."

"Did you really have to hit us?" Luffy whined.

"Serves you right. You're the ones who fell asleep and into this trap," Law crossed his arms.

"Like you weren't asleep," Luffy grumbled.

Before he could stop himself, Law replied, "I wasn't asleep."

"Oh? What were you doing then?" Luffy asked, innocently. Law's face flushed as his body twitched. Neo face flushed as well. She dropped her eyes and twiddled with her fingers. "Hm? What? What's wrong? Why's your face so red?"

Robin chuckled lightly while bitting her bottom lip. Chopper blinked innocently and tilted his head. Brook pressed a boney hand to his cheek and said, "Oh my."

Corazon studied Law and Neo's expressions and body language then chuckled. "I guess it's a good thing that they interrupted before things got to far. Or else, you and Neo would be in your birthday suits right in front of us."

That caused Neo and Law's faced to darken even more. Corazon chuckled. "I expect this reaction from Neo, since she's so shy, but not from a guy like _you_ , Law."

"Hm? Shy? Shy about what?" Luffy asked.

"How old are you again?" Brook asked Luffy.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Luffy asked his skeleton crew mate.

"Shut up!" Law hissed through his teeth. "All of you!"

"Neo, where's the Warper?" Robin said, saving Law and Neo from more embarrassment and from someone dying by the surgeon's hands.

"I haven't sense a Warper at all," Neo replied. Chopper glanced up at her.

"Huh?" Everyone turned and looked at her.

"We're still caught in the Warper's trap, obviously, but there's none around," Neo replied. "I don't know why."

"Maybe this was just a last ditch effort to stop you, no matter how weak it is," Corazon said, crossing his arms. "That queen lady wants to fight Neo, right? I'll bet they're planning on an ambush when we arrive on Luminous and tried to get rid of us devil fruit users."

"We might as well return to our ships and get some rest so we can prepare for the final battle," Robin suggested.

"Good night, Neo," Chopper said, pulling away from her and waved.

"Good night," Neo waved back. The pirates then concentrated on returning themselves back to their rooms. Neo looked around their room before sighing. "I just want this to be over."

"Yeah," Law nodded. "We all do."

The two went quiet for a while before Law spoke up again." Hey, what happened between us when we were in the illusion?"

"What do you mean?" Neo looked at him and blinked.

"You entered into my mind somehow," Law said.

"Um," Neo thought about what she did when she tried to wake Law up. "I was glowing again."

"The last time you did that was when you showed me your past," Law said.

"I was scared that I was about to lose you. I couldn't let that happen. I think our bond just got stronger. We were talking to each other too," Neo said and Law nodded.

"I think you might be right," Law put his arms around Neo and pulled her into his chest.

…

 **Author's Notes: Well, this chapter did come out like I thought/wanted it too. All well. We're getting close to the end of this one if you hadn't sensed it yet. Two more chapters and it's over. Neo's story has been such a long one and only getting longer with the rewrite. Glad people have liked it and followed me through it. ^.^ Follow the rewrite for more info on Neo, if ya'll want. I know some of you are. :)**

 **Might do another Law x OC. But I'm not sure. I typically make one OC per character I like. :/ Oddly dedicated I guess. Though I can't get this idea outta my head. Also working on a Luffy X OC fic outline right now.**


	49. Battle on Luminous

Battle on Luminous

Neo took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She felt like she was going to be sick. Luminous was right there in front of her. They all were out on the deck of their sub as they closed in on their destination. This was it. The final, decisive battle. She was either going to regain everything she's lost or lose everything she still had.

"Stop that," Law's voice broke into her thoughts and made her jump. "Don't think like that. You're _not_ going to lose anyone else. We are going to get our son and Penguin back right now."

"Right. We're getting them back right now. This all will be over soon," Neo took his hand. "But I know you are having your doubts too. It's only natural."

Law chuckled and leaned down to her. He pressed his lips to hers. Their kiss was slow, tender and comforting for both of them. "Captain? Neo? Um…Captain?"

"Yes?" Law asked, breaking their kiss. They both turned to the bear talking to them.

"We're here," Bepo said.

"Right," Law nodded. He held up his hand and warped his love and crew onto the beach of Luminous. The Straw Hats disembarked their own ship while everyone looked around.

"Sheesh. This place is even darker than the first time we came here," Usopp said, noting their surrounding environment.

"It feels so empty," Neo whispered low as she scanned her eyes over her home island. It was void of life. And so twisted up, literally and figuratively. The trees were a lot taller than they were before. The bark had been darkened to almost pitch black. They were void of leaves completely. The lush green grass had been turned yellowish grey. All of the houses, flowers and bushes were missing. The only building around was the castle. The only part they could see of it was the points that stuck up among the trees.

Neo couldn't tell from where they were standing how much the castle had been changed, but she was sure it didn't have spiky points like that before and it wasn't a grayish purple color. She pulled her eyes from the castle and looked around at the two crews. They all were ready to fight. They all were waiting for her to tell them it was time. She took another deep breath and slowly let it out. "Let's get this over with."

"Yeah!" Luffy cried, slamming his fist into his palm. He then ran towards the castle.

"Nothing's ever gonna change with him," Franky shook his head. "Well, might as well follow his lead."

"You sure you want to come?" Sanji asked the little sprite hiding in his breast pocket.

"I no leave you!" Celeste protested.

"All right," Sanji stroked her hair with a finger. "Just stay inside."

Celeste ducked down into his pocket as the groups proceeded to walk inland. Their walk was a creepily quiet one. The onset of an ambush was obvious. They all could feel the Warpers watching them.

"I wonder what they did with all the Elementals," Robin pondered.

"They probably drained their magic then tucked them away somewhere," Nami answered. "I wonder if they are going to use them against us somehow."

"Wouldn't be surprised if they did," Franky said carefully looking around.

"Oh! Just attack us all ready!" Usopp shouted. "I can't take the suspense anymore!"

"Shut up, you idiot!" Nami punched Usopp on the head.

"What? It's gonna happen," Usopp protested. "So why not just get it over with?"

"How in the world did these _children_ take down my brother and his forces?" Corazon asked. He looked over at Law. "And how did _you_ not go insane from dealing with them?"

Law didn't answer. He just let his hat drop over his eyes and frowned. Neo chuckled. "I'm not sure he didn't go insane from dealing with the Straw Hats."

"Can we just keep going?" Zoro asked.

"No point in stopping now," Robin added. "Besides, ambushes happen when you least expect-"

A sudden blast of wind washed over the group, knocking them all off balance. The wind was filled with something that lashed out at them. It hit them all over their bodies. They all tried to counter attack, but couldn't get a hit on whatever was attacking them.

Neo closed her eyes and concentrated on the wind. Using her mind, she was able to repel the wind away from them. She looked over the pirates. They were readjusting their clothes, examining the red spots on their skin and fixing their now messed up hair, but they were fine. Before anyone could say anything else, black holes opened up underneath everyone, but Neo. Long shadow like limbs grabbed the pirates and pulled them down into the darkness. She dove to the hole that took Law from her. It closed up before she could do anything to save him. "Law!"

The only thing Neo could hear was Nami shouting out to Usopp. "Usopp! You're going to pay for this! I told you to shut up!"

"Law!" Neo pounded on the ground with her fists a couple times. She then shook her head and took a couple deep breaths. "No! Calm down. You are fine. Law has prepared you for this. You knew this would happen."

She stood up. "Just head to the castle. Law will find a way back to you. Focus on Isleen. The others will be just fine. They are strong."

With another slow deep breath, Neo turned back towards the castle and started walking again. She could feel the eyes of Warpers watching her, silently mocking her from the odd forest around her. She rounded a tree and paused. A shiver ran up her spine when she finally saw the castle. It looked like someone froze an explosion in place. She had to force herself to move again.

As she got closer to the castle, she noticed the gray and purple colors were twirling around inside the clear crystal walls of the building. The ground underneath her feet shifted. It was replaced with a red narrow carpet that lead up to the two large steel doors of the palace. Neo huffed lightly. "Very funny. Feels like this is nothing but a joke to Isleen."

Still, Neo started walking again. The carpet was eerily soft and welcoming to the contradicting harsh cold environment of the island. She was staring to miss how her home island use to feel. She missed all the flower scents, the variety of food the Elementals cooked, the music, dancing, the laughter…Neo suddenly snapped opened her eyes that she didn't even know she had closed.

She noticed she was headed towards to the left of the castle. The carpet had split. She was going towards a dark path instead of the castle. Isleen had gotten into her mind without her realizing it. She shook her head and started back down the right path. "Focus. Don't let your mind wonder. Don't think about what use to be here. Think about what's here right now."

Two minutes later, Neo was standing at the doors. She swallowed and placed her hands on the door. Despite their extremely large size, they easily opened with a light push. A cold whoosh of chilly wind greeted her as the doors swung open. She could only see about ten feet inside. The rest of the room faded away into shadows.

"Well, here goes nothing," Neo then stepped inside. The doors slammed closed behind her. She walked into the shadows and was soon covered in darkness.

…

"Where are we?" Chopper asked as he sat up. He looked around his grayish surroundings. The other pirates were starting to pick themselves up too. "Is everyone okay?"

"I think so," Nami said.

"We're still together?" Brook asked. "But why?"

"Why bother asking that? We're not going to get an answer," Zoro complained. "Nothing about this whole thing makes any sense. They should just fight us and get it over with."

Law frowned as he looked around. He quickly glanced over his crew, they were fine, angry and worried but fine. Shachi then said, "Okay, we've been successfully separated from Neo. Now the only thing missing in this is the surprising twist."

Eerie silence fell over them for a couple minutes before Bepo spoke up. "I think I figured out the surprising twist."

"And what's that?" Sanji asked.

Just then all the elements fired at them. They all jumped out of the way then looked up to see Elementals appearing in the room. Usopp blinked. "Are they real or an illusion?"

"I think they're real," Bepo replied.

"In deed they are," A Warper appeared. She smirked. Slowly more Warpers appeared in the room. They all were wearing victorious smiles.

"Yeah, because you've never lied before," Law grumbled. "Everyone, be careful. We have no way of knowing for sure if these are really Elementals."

"Huh? Why?" Luffy asked.

"Because, we don't want to really hurt them if they really are the Elementals. It's not their fault they're being controlled," Nami explained with a frustrated sigh.

"Right!" Luffy grinned. "I don't want to hurt Neo's people. Let get it started now."

Luffy cracked his knuckled then charged into battle. He punched several punches at the Elementals. The Elementals disappeared. Luffy paused and blinked in disbelief. Suddenly vines raised up out of the ground and trapped him. "Hey! Let me go!"

"He's still trying to use his strength," Nami shook her head.

"Might as well save him," Franky said. They all charged forward.

Law paused and glanced over his shoulder. Bepo caught this move and turned to him. "Captain? Is something wrong?"

"Isleen's doing something to Neo," Law frowned. He took a deep breath and released it then turned to the bear. "But our focus is needed here. She'll be fine. Let's attack."

"Aye, Captain!" The two then charged into battle. Using their minds to try and face off against the Elementals. The pirates, who were better at using their minds, tried to turn the elements against the Elementals to immobilize them while the others tried to use physical attacks.

…

"Neo?" A familiar voice called out. "Neo, time to get up."

"Hm," Neo moaned and shifted on the soft bed underneath her. She cracked her eyes open. "Huh?"

"You going to sleep the entire day away?" Law asked.

"What?" Neo sat up and looked around their room. Law was bustling around the room getting dressed and drinking a cup of coffee. Corazon was in his crib playing with a teddy bear. She jumped out of bed and ran over to their son. "Cora!"

"Is something wrong?" Law paused to look at her with his hands on his hips.

"No, nothings wrong," Neo said. She looked at their son then looked around his crib. Something seemed to be missing from the baby's bed. "Wait...Something's not right."

"What do you mean?" Law asked.

"I don't know," Neo picked up Corazon from his crib. She held him tightly too her chest. "Something just seems to be missing from Cora's crib. It was a gift, I think."

"Well, his teddy bear was a gift from his Uncle Shachi. And it's right there," Law pointed to the bear in the crib.

"No, it wasn't a toy. It was something else. Something rounded. And I think it played music," Neo turned to Law. She studied him. He was wearing a white button up shirt, with a black tie and slacks. Something about that wasn't right either. "When did you start wearing clothes like that?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Law chuckled and walked over to her. "I've always worn clothes like this. Did you have a weird dream or something?"

"Something," Neo dropped her eyes back down to Corazon. He smiled up at her with his steely grey eyes.

"Don't worry about it. It was probably just a strange dream that left you feeling dazed when you woke up," Law said with a wave of his hand. "You should get dressed now."

"Just a dream?" Neo mumbled. "That doesn't sound right either."

"Get dressed, honey," Law plucked Corazon out of her arms.

"What did you call me?" Neo's eyes shot to Law's.

"Honey. Why? Do you not like me calling you that now?" Law smirked.

"You never call me _honey_ ," Neo narrowed her eyebrows.

"What are you talking about?" Law asked. He sat Corazon down on the floor and straighten back up. "I always call you honey."

"You always call me _love_ or _my love_ ," Neo shook her head. "You're not real."

"Of course I'm real," Law began to walk towards her. "Stop acting so strange."

"No," Neo shook her head again. "You're not real! Isleen got into my head again."

"Isleen? Who's that?" Neo closed her eyes and ignored him. She felt him grab her shoulders. Slowly she worked on gaining control of the world around her. She could feel Isleen easily and her over confidence. Soon she was back in the hallway of the castle. She sighed. "Enough of this!"

She opened her eyes and rushed down the hall. The doors to the thrown room opened on their own for her. She rushed through them and paused a few feet into the room. Isleen was sitting on her throne. It looked like a smaller version of the castle. The back was all pointed. It was also the same swirling colors as the rest of the castle.

But it was what was above the throne than made Neo almost throw up. She shot her hand to her mouth and tried to prevent that from happening. Penguin was above the throne. Laying in a crystal clear coffin. She wished that it wasn't him. That he wasn't really there, but she knew it was really him. It wasn't an illusion. She shook her head and calmed herself. Penguin was really right there. And she knew Isleen had him there to throw her off, to freak her out.

Isleen smirked. "I was so sure that you would never figure out that was an illusion. I was hoping being with your lover and having your son back would have convinced you it was nothing but a dream. How did you know it wasn't real?"

Neo forced herself to pull her eyes from her brother's seemingly lifeless body. "If you're really going to use someone's lover against them then you really should pay more attention to details of how they treat each other and how they dress."

"What do you mean?" Isleen asked, looking as if she was bored of this conversation.

"Law's a pirate. He doesn't dress like a business man. And he _never_ calls me _honey_. He always calls me _love_ or _my love_ ," Neo clenched her fists.

Isleen huffed. "Well, aren't you two just so sickeningly close."

Neo couldn't help but smile. "You have no idea how close we really are. Now, stop trying to stall."

"Well, aren't you in such a hurry?" Isleen smirked. "Someone who hates to fight?"

"I might hate to fight, but that doesn't mean I won't defend my family," Neo summoned all of her strength and tried to take control as much of this world as she could. She raised the ground up around Isleen and tried to trap her. She did, but Isleen easily broke free.

Isleen then turned the attack on Neo. She trapped Neo's body and slammed her against the wall. Chuckling, Isleen walked over to Neo. "Silly little princess, did you really think you could beat me? I've had years of practice controlling my mind and magic. I'm a lot stronger than you. I already hold the keys to your defeat."

"What are you talking about?" Neo demanded.

"Naive little princess, haven't you wondered where your people are?" Isleen reached out and stroked Neo's cheek. Neo tried to pull away, but didn't have much room to move away from the woman. "Honestly, I wanted to kill them for what you all did to me."

" _We_ didn't do anything to you. Our ancestors did," Neo pointed out.

"Details," Isleen tossed her hair over her shoulder. "You're still the descendants of those who imprisoned my people. Anyway, do you want to know where they are?"

Neo gritted her teeth, already knowing she won't like the answer. Isleen leaned into her ear and whispered in a victorious tone. "I saved them so they could fight against your pirate love. That's right. Your _family_ is fighting your _family_."

Neo closed her eyes to keep her tears from falling. She felt she was going to be sick again. She tired not to gag with each breath she took. "Stop it. Let them go. Just leave them alone and take me."

"That's very noble of you, but it's not happening," With a small flick of her hand, Isleen tossed Neo to the other side of the room. Neo slammed against the wall. It knocked the air out of her lungs. "You really should just give it up. You can't win. You know you're not strong enough to defeat me."

 _Block her out_. Neo thought to herself.

"You know you're weak. You always have been. Your _family_ always does the fighting for you, don't they? Have you ever done anything for them? Just think about your past. What good have you done?"

 _She's just trying to mess with you. You can handle this just fine._ Neo struggled to stand up. When she turned her eyes to Isleen, the Warper Queen immediately showed her a picture of her family and friends fighting. And they were loosing. "That's not real!"

"Are you sure?" Isleen taunted.

 _There's got to be a way to distract her. She's got to have some kind of weakness that I can take advantage of. That's what Law would do. But what is her weakness?_ Neo dove to the side when Isleen tried to stab her with a spear she conjured up. Several more attacks came. Neo could do nothing but dodge them.

"Give it up, _princess_. You aren't going to win against me. I'm not as weak minded as you are," Isleen chuckled.

Neo panted hard. She was starting to think that Isleen was right. She was weak minded when she wasn't under the protection of Law and her crew. Her eyes then snapped open with realization. Isleen did have a weakness. Isleen was weak minded too, against the right thing. _That's it! Isleen's prison! She's afraid of going back to it._ _But I don't know what it looked like._

Neo shook her head. It didn't matter that she didn't know what the prison looked like. Just the idea of being locked back up should be enough to throw Isleen off her guard and trap her. Neo pushed herself to her feet. She looked at Isleen. "Tell me something, Isleen."

Isleen cocked her head. "What is it?"

"What was is like?"

"What was what like?"

"Your prison?" Neo saw a flash of concern in Isleen's eyes. It only lasted for a split second before the creature regained control of her emotions.

"What does that matter?" Isleen asked, trying to cover up her insecurity. But she couldn't hide it from Neo. Insecurity was something Neo was all too familiar with.

"Was it all dark inside?" Neo grasped ahold of the area around them. Slowly the light began to fade away.

A couple sweat drops appeared on Isleen's forehead. "I-I have no idea what you're planning but it won't work. I'm stronger than you."

"Actually, I think we're pretty much the same," Neo said, making the room grown even darker. She could now only see the faint outline of Isleen's body. The erratic movements the Warper was making with her body told Neo that she was loosing control. Then Neo completely got rid of all the light in the room and plunged them both into darkness. "At least where our insecurities are concerned."

"No!" Isleen cried out in desperation. Figuring out what came next, Neo quickly made clones of herself and placed them around the room. She then summoned her wings and took to the air so she wouldn't get hit. Isleen summoned a light that was almost as bright as the sun. Once the room was lit up, she struck out at all the Neo clones. Isleen's voice was desperate. "No! No! I won't go back!"

Neo hovered safely in place as she watch Isleen attack her clones. With each clone Isleen destroyed, Neo created more. She knew that she had to get Isleen to use up as much magic as she could. Isleen cried out again. "Why won't you die?! Enough of this!"

Isleen suddenly stopped attacking. Neo saw the desperation in the woman's eyes. Her chest tightened with the realization that she had forgotten one important thing in the room: Penguin. Isleen turned back to the throne and looked right up at the unconscious man. "If you won't die then I'll just kill the one I know who will!"

Isleen summoned a large pointed spike and shot it at Penguin. Neo cried out. "No!"

Neo struggled through her panic to grab a hold of the spike with her mind. The two locked into a strange battle of tug of war on the spike. Isleen screamed. "I won't go back! I won't go back!"

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Neo screamed back at her. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "This is between you and me! I won't let you kill my brother!"

Using all the mental strength she had, Neo shattered the spike. She then flew down towards Isleen. Isleen tried to hit Neo with more mental attack, but they were sluggish. Neo dodged each one easily. Her plan to wear Isleen out was working. But she still couldn't let up on her own attack and landed a punch on the creature's cheek. Isleen flew backwards. She landed on the ground and skidded a few feet.

Neo landed. Her feet planted on both sides of Isleen's body as her fist throbbed from the punch. She wiped her tears away, but more took their place. She summoned every single crystal she could. Each one snapped with their respective element. She dropped to her knees. Starting down at Isleen through her tears, sharp pointed vines pointed at Isleen's throat.

Tears dripped from Neo's chin. They fell carelessly on Isleen's face. Isleen didn't notice as she continued to taunt Neo with a wild, desperate look in her eyes. "Go ahead, Luminous Princess! Kill me! You know you want too! I took your brother! I tried to drain your son of his magic! I've repeatedly attacked your family and friends! And I'll do it again! It won't matter how I get locked up this time! I will get free! And I will come after you again! The only way your are going to be free is if you kill me! So do it! KILL ME!"

"Stop it," Neo pleaded. Her body trembled. Her crystals trembled and shook with their elements ready to kill the woman beneath their mistress. She wanted to drown her with her water crystals, burn her with her fire crystals, blow her away with her wind crystals, bury her with her earth crystals.

Neo's vision blurred as her head swam. She was scared. She wanted to kill this woman who attacked her family and friend repetitively. She wanted the woman dead. She didn't like the feeling. She didn't want to do it. She wanted to do it. "Stop it. I can't…I can't…LAW! HELP ME!"

Neo's solar crystal then appeared in the room. It slowly radiated its warm, healing glow over Neo's body then over the entire room. With a bright flash of light, the solar crystal lit up the room.

…

Law growled as he dodged another attack from the Elementals he was facing. They weren't getting anywhere. No one was winning, but no one was loosing. They were in a stalemate. They were being detained on purpose. He gave a quick glance at his crew and the Straw Hat crew. From the looks on some of their faces, he knew they had come to the same conclusion that he had: This wasn't about them. It was about Neo. They were still only a tool to use against her.

Law needed to get back to Neo. He could sense her fear rising. He could also sense her intent to kill, something he never felt coming from her. Something obviously happened to cause Neo to become like this. He knew it couldn't have been because of him and the others in this room. They were in life threatening danger. It had to be Penguin. He was the only one missing here. And the only one who couldn't defend himself. That would cause Neo to want to kill, if he was in life threatening danger.

Law had to get back to her and stop her from killing. If he didn't, he knew she wouldn't be able to live with killing someone again. And it didn't matter if the Warper deserved to die or not.

Law started to try and formulate a plan when he was suddenly stopped by a bright light that flowed into the room. The Warpers shield their eyes. It was too much light for them. Law turned to it, not noticing the light didn't effect him like it did the Warpers. "Neo's solar crystal?"

"Hey, they're not attacking anymore," Luffy said. Law turned to the straw hatted man then looked back at the Elementals. Luffy was right. The Elementals had stopped attacking.

"But how?" Brook asked. "Why is the light only blinding them and not us?"

"Neo's crystal is supposed to push the darkness away from their bodies. Perhaps it's not just from the darkness crystal. Perhaps it works on other types of darkness," Robin surmised.

"I suppose that's possible," Sanji said. "But I don't think this works like it did back then. Look at her people. They're not returning back to normal. They're just pausing in their places."

Before anyone else could formulate a response, they all heard Neo cried out, "LAW! HELP ME!"

"That was Neo," Chopper said. "She sounds so scared."

"But where? Where do we go to get to her?" Usopp asked.

"We follow the light," Law said before running towards the light. "And we use our minds to get back to her."

…

"Do it!" Isleen cried out again.

Neo closed her eyes. She felt her body give into the desire to kill this woman who hurt her so much. Her stomach lurched as her crystals went on the attack. Suddenly, a familiar hand grabbed her wrist as an arm wrapped around her waist. Her crystals immediately stopped attacking. Familiar lips then pressed against her temple. "It's okay, love. You are not going to kill her."

"L-Law…" Neo, still with her eyes closed, continued to plead. "Help me. I need you. I can't see you."

"Open your eyes, Neo. And look at me, not at Isleen," For a moment, Law wasn't sure she was going to. He thought she was so lost in the fear of having to kill Isleen had far too strong of a hold for him to break. But she did. She turned her head to him and slowly opened her eyes. He smiled sweetly at her. "There she is. There's my sweet princess."

"Law…I almost…"

"Shh," Law pulled her into his arms and off Isleen. "No, you didn't. You weren't going to kill her."

He grabbed his sword before helping her stand up. She clenched a hold of his shirt and trembled in his hold. He kissed her hair. Isleen sneered. "I knew you were too weak to actually do it. Now lock me up. Get it over with."

"No, Isleen," Law hissed. "You are not going to any _prison_ this time."

"Of course I am," Isleen smirked. "It's the punishment the Elementals and Time Empress will bring down on me. Your _princess_ isn't strong enough to create a prison like the one that held us before. You won't even let her try because it will hurt her. So we'll just sit around in whatever prison the Time Empress has."

"That might have been _their_ punishment, but it's not _mine_ ," Law raised his sword. "I won't let _you_ have the chance to escape again."

"You won't kill me," Isleen continued to smirk even thought her eyes betrayed her confidence.

"Neo, cover your ears," Neo immediately did what he said. Even though she had her ears covered and her eyes closed, Neo could still feel Law moving his arm. She could still feel the blade sinking into Isleen's chest. And she could still hear the muffle sounds of Isleen crying out before her voice was cut off forever. Then she felt both of Law's arms around her. "It's okay, love. It's over. She's never going to hurt you again."

…

 **Author's Notes: Ugh, I still don't like writing fight scenes. I need to get better at them. Hope this was okay. And, wow, one more chapter and this is over. :/ But still going with the rewrite ^.^ so we'll still have plenty of lovey dovey moments with Neo and Law. Still debated on doing another Law/OC and Luffy/OC fic. I'm wondering if many would be interested in them. Might go ahead and post the first chapter of each soon to see if any likes it then continue the outline if enough like them.**


	50. Finally Together Again

Finally Together Again

"Are you all right now, love?" Neo nodded against his chest.

She pulled away and looked up at him. "We're okay."

"We are," Law nodded.

"Penguin," Neo turned to see Penguin's crystal coffin lowering to the floor. She tried to move, but found she couldn't. Her legs had stopped working. Law removed one arm from her back and slipped it under her knees. He picked her up and carried her over to Penguin. Just as Law kneeled down, the crystal coffin disappeared. Neo reached out and cupped Penguin's cheek. The color had drained from him face at some point. "Penguin?"

Law reach for the unconscious man's neck. His heart about snapped in two when he couldn't find a pulse, but a slow beat eventually tapped against his fingers. It was faint, but it was there. He sighed with relief. "He's alive."

Neo let out her own sigh of relief. Then she noticed something strange pulsing within Penguin's body. "I can sense Cora's magic. How?"

"I'm not sure," Law said.

"He must have absorbed your son's magic," Empress Futura said as she suddenly appeared in the room.

"Who's that?" Corazon asked.

"That's Empress Future," Nami replied. "She's one of the few who helped us when we were in the Time Stream."

"Oh," Corazon nodded.

"He'll be all right, won't he?" Neo looked at the empress as she kneeled down. Her eyes pleaded with the older woman. "Please, say he'll be fine."

"Well, humans and magic don't usually mix well," Empress Futura said. Neo's body tensed up. She grabbed a hold of Law as he rubbed his hand on her arm soothingly. "But he'll be fine. It appears your son's magic knows that this man was trying to protect it."

"Can magic do that?" Law asked. He gave Neo a comforting squeeze as she relaxed.

"It appears so. Magic is always and will always be a mystery, even to those of us who are born of magic," Empress Future gave both Law and Neo a motherly like smile. She then looked over at Isleen's body. She frowned.

"I was _not_ going to let her try and escape again. I was-" Law started.

"Don't," Empress Futura raised a hand to silence him. "I wasn't going to reprimand your decision to kill her. It was probably for the best anyway. She very well could have escaped again. Well done, all of you. I will bring you and your friends to my castle now. We need to extract your son's magic so it can be returned to him."

Empress Futura raised her eyes to the gathering crews. Her orbs stopped on Corazon. "I'm sorry. But this world is currently returning to normal. You will have to be returned to your own time period now."

"What?!" Law demanded. "You can't jus-"

"It's all right, Law," Corazon cut him off. He placed his hand on Law's shoulder and kneeled down. "She's right. I don't belong in this time. My presence here has probably already put the future at risk enough."

"I know, but there so much that I…"

"I know, Law. I know. I'm just glad I got to see you all grown up. You have done very well for yourself," Corazon smiled at him. He then looked at Neo. "And you have done well taking very good care of our boy. Thank you, Neo."

"Do you really have to go?" Neo asked then turned to the empress. "Does he really have to go so soon?"

"I'm afraid so," Empress Futura gave Neo as soft smile. She then gestured around the throne room. The castle was returning to normal and Elementals were starting to enter the room. They were dazed, but seemingly okay for what they had just been through. "Just see for yourself. Everything is returning to normal because the Warpers know their queen has been defeated. Some of them are surrendering immediately while others are put up a fight. But my army will contain them easily enough. If he stays here any longer then it could cause problems to your time."

With a heavy sigh and nod of understanding, Neo held out her hand to him. The man took it. "Thank you for save him back then. If it wasn't for you, I never would have survived. I just wish you could have met our son in person."

"It's okay. I don't have to meet him to know exactly what kind of boy he is and what kind of man he's going to be," Corazon then took a hold of Law's hand and place it with Neo, cupping both their hands in his. "Take very good care of each other now."

Law and Neo nodded. Tears shimmered in both her and Law's eyes.

"Okay. Let's get to it then. I never cared much for tearful goodbyes," Corazon said, but he too had tears in his eyes. Empress Futura waved her hand over Corazon's body. They all watched as the blonde man waved and faded away from them.

"Um, Neo?" Kiba then asked. The pirates turned to him. "What's going on?"

"It's kind of a long story," Neo replied.

"One of which we don't have time to explain right now. We have to get to our son," Law said.

"Did something happen to him?" Madam Healer asked with panic present in her voice.

"Yeah," Neo nodded.

"I'm coming with you!" Kiba shouted.

"As am I," Madam Healer nodded. "I want to be sure he is being properly taken care of."

"Is this all right?" Neo asked the empress.

"It is fine. But I hope that I don't have to take all of you with me," The empress looked over Neo's gathered people. "My castle is big, but I won't be able to accommodate all of you while winding down a war."

After a few grumbles about wanting to know what was going on with their princess, Kiba eventually got the Elementals to agree to remain on Luminous.

"Let's go now," Empress Futura said after everything was settled. She then waved her hand over the two pirate groups and two Elementals. The groups blinked and found themselves in the same room as baby Corazon. Despite not looking like a hospital room, the room still had the air of one. The room was a pale blue. It had some strange kind of machines lining the walls that resembled machines found in a hospital, but still didn't look all that familiar. Only one of them seemed to be working. And it appeared to be connected, probably by magic, to the disk Corazon wore on his forehead. Five people-wearing long, light green lab coats and matching visors over their eyes-bustled around the room. One occasionally checking on the machine that was working while another one was turning another one of the machines on.

The pirates two friends were still standing guard over their baby like they promised they would. Penguin was now laying in a bed next to Corazon's crib. They were close enough that if Penguin was awake he could reach out and touch the baby. The small team of five green lab coat cladded people rushing around the room. They were hooking up strange silver disks to Penguin and Corazon's arms. The disks could easily fit in the palm of Neo's hand. They were silver all over with the exception of a small clear half dome in the middle of them.

"What are they doing?" Neo asked. Slight panic was in her tone.

"Relax, Princess," Elian addressed her. "They're just going to extract your son's magic from your brother and returning it to its proper owner. It won't hurt either of them."

"You all are probably very tired," Velocity said. "I can show you to rooms where you can rest."

"No!" Neo shouted. Tears streamed down her cheeks again. "I'm staying here! I don't want to leave them! Not again!"

"Shh," Law tightened his hold on her. "I know. You can stay right here."

"We figured as much," Elian nodded with a light smile.

"We can set you two up a bed in here," Empress Futura smiled. She waved her hand over the room and a bed appeared near Penguin and Corazon where they could easily keep an eye on the two. "But, please, do get some rest."

"If the rest of you will follow me," Velocity said as she headed for the door. They all hesitated, looked at Law and Neo, then followed their friend. Kiba and Madam Healer followed along with the pirates with the pirates promising to tell them everything.

"Law, I…" Neo started.

"I know," Law carried her over to Penguin and Corazon, knowing that's what she wanted. The beds were close, but still had enough room for Law to slip between them. He sat down on the bed Penguin was on, keeping Neo on his lap. They both watched over them for several hours until Neo fell asleep in Law's arms. He then carried her over to the bed they were supplied with and laid down with her. He brushed the back of his hand over her cheek. "Sleep, my love. They'll be with you again soon."

…

Law was leaning against the door frame. His eyes were locked onto Neo. She was curled up on the bed right beside Penguin. She had her hand through the bars of Corazon's crib and lightly brushing her finger over the baby's arm. It had been a week and a half since they had been here. And there had been no change in Penguin and Corazon but for the fact that Corazon's magic was successfully draining from Penguin's body and going back to where it belong.

Neo was always with them. Except for the couple times Law had to drag, literally, her away from them so she could get a shower. She took the fastest showers in the history of showers with the help of her crystals, then immediately returned to Penguin and Corazon. The rest of the crews would visit often then spent time around the empress's castle and grounds. The Heart Pirates stayed closed by, never wondering far, but still kept their distance so Neo could have time with Corazon and Penguin. She needed it more than they did.

Law sighed and forced himself to leave the room. He didn't want to leave her, but he needed to make sure none of the others were getting into trouble, which happened often with Luffy around. He found them all sitting outside in the surrounding gardens. The multicolors flowers released fragrances that soothed the pirates in times of stress.

Velocity explained them a few days ago when they were questioned. "They are time aroma flowers that only releases their scent when the people around them are stressed. Their scents help soothe the stresses of running such a large kingdom. That's why the empress has so many around the castle."

"Well, that makes sense," Nami said. The majority of the group was sitting around the table, Luffy was off goofing around and playing with the local wildlife, Zoro was napping, while some Heart Pirates went for short walks.

"If only we could get Neo out here," Chopper sighed. He was laying on the rounded table looking as pathetic as possible "I worried she's going to stress herself sick."

"She'll be just fine as soon as her family is completed again," Sanji said puffing on his cigarette.

Law ran his eyes over the pirates and Kiba. After the story had been told and satisfied that Corazon was getting the proper treatment, Madam Healer returned to Luminous to inform every one of what had happened.

Kiba looked up at Law. "Any change?"

Law shook his head and everyone sighed.

…

Neo's eyes were drifting close when she suddenly heard Corazon fuss. She snapped her eyes open and sat up. Their son was awake. He was sitting up, looking around his unfamiliar environment. Then he cried at all the unfamiliarity. "Cora!"

She went to pick him up, but paused. She wasn't sure if it was okay. She might hurt him or cause a disruption with the disks on him. One of the technicians, who had been watching over the extraction of Corazon's magic, chuckled lightly. "It's okay, Princess Neo. You may pick up your son. It won't hurt him at all. I'll inform your family immediately that he's awake."

Neo nodded and immediately picked him up. He clung to her as they both cried. She summoned her solar crystal to give him a boost. "It's okay, baby, mommy's here. I'm here. I'm right here."

A few minutes later, the pirates and Kiba came rushing into the room. Law was the first and immediately when to his wife and son. He wrapped both of them into his arms. "Law, our son's awake. He's awake."

"I see that," Law chuckled, tears of relief sparkling in his own eyes. He tweaked his son's cheek when he looked at him. Corazon's grabbed ahold of Law's finger and brought it into his mouth. Law smiled as their son sucked on his finger.

"What about Penguin?" Bepo asked. "Will he be awake soon?"

"It's really hard to tell," The technician replied. "There's still a little magic lingering in his body, but it's extracting nicely. I'd give it at least another week before he wakes up."

They all were relieved and sullen at the news. But it wouldn't be much longer before they all were together again. Neo moved to the other side of Penguin. She wanted to stay with him, but also knew everyone would want to greet Corazon. She sat down on the bed, with Law beside her and Corazon in her lap. The crews and Kiba took turns greeting their favorite baby. They showered him with much attention and love.

"Princess!" Velocity cried out and she and Elian rushed into the room. Empress Futura strolled in behind them in a more calm, graceful way. "We just heard! We're so happy!"

"I'm glad he's finally awake," Elian smiled.

"Thanks," Neo nodded. She looked down at Corazon. He was clearly enjoying the attention he was getting, but it was also clear that he knew something bad had happened to him. He would constantly look to Neo and Law as if to make sure they were still there. She placed her hand on his head. "It's all right, my heart. We're still here. We're not going anywhere."

Eventually things settled back down. Over the next week, things went pretty much the same as the last week and a half. Neo kept Corazon with her as she continued to watch over Penguin. No one else dared take him away from her. They did, however, spend more time in the room now. Corazon's clinginess hung around during the week. He wanted his mom and dad more than anyone else, but it was clear that he also was worried about his Uncle Penguin.

Neo was laying down on the bed with her head resting on Law's lap. Corazon was in her arms, but suddenly pulled away from her. Neo opened her eyes, wondering why he was moving away from her so suddenly. She lifted off Law. Both watched as Corazon crawled over to Penguin and onto the unconscious man's chest. Corazon then patted Penguin on the cheek and made several baby calls like he was trying to wake the man up. "Ba! Ba! Ah! Ma! Ma! Da da!"

"Cora, baby, Penguin's not-" Neo reached out in an attempt to pick their son up, but Law stopped her by placing his hand over hers. She looked back at him.

"Wait," Law said. Neo turned back to Penguin and Corazon.

Suddenly, Penguin moved. Neo's breath caught in her throat. Both she and Law froze in place and waited several agonizing seconds for Penguin to move again. He did. Penguin shifted in his sleep. Corazon patted Penguin's cheek again. "Ba ba! Pe pe! Up!"

As if on the baby's command, Penguin woke up. "Hey, Cora."

"Penguin…" When Neo called his name, Penguin turned to look at her. His lips curled into a tired smile. Tears flowed freely down her face. "Penguin…"

"Hey, Princess, sorry I worried you," Penguin said tiredly.

"You stupid idiot!" Neo cried happily. She then flung herself onto him. Putting her arms around him and Corazon, who was already hugging his uncle.

"I'm sorry," Penguin put his arms tiredly around them. He then saw Law. He held out his hand to his captain. "Reporting back to duty, Captain."

Law chuckled and took his subordinate's hand. "Just concentrate on getting your strength back. We'll discuss your duties and punishment for making Neo worry later."

"Aye, Captain," Penguin nodded with a light chuckle of his own.

Just then the two crews and Kiba came rushing into the room. A technician must have informed them of the man's awakening. The Heart Pirates rushed over and just about tackled the man in a huge group hug. Or they would have if Neo wasn't all ready attached to him like he was going to disappear if she let go. Shachi was the first to speak. "Man! You had us so worried! What were you thinking?"

Penguin chuckled again. "I don't think I was thinking. I just reacted."

"What happened?" Bepo asked. "How did you end up with Cora's magic inside of you?"

"I'm not really sure," Penguin shifted, which was hard since Neo was still clinging to him with Corazon trapped between him and her arm.

"Neo," Law said, putting his hands under her arms to try and lift her off Penguin. "Let go."

"No!" Neo pouted.

"Come on, love," Law coaxed. "He's not going anywhere. But he does need to breath."

With another pull, Law was able to lift Neo off Penguin. Penguin, noticeably by the others, breathed easier with her off him. He reached out and ruffled Neo's hair. "Yeah, I'm not going anywhere, not again."

"You stupid idiot," Neo repeated. She summoned her solar crystal again to help Penguin regain his strength.

"Yeah, that wasn't the smartest move I've ever done," Penguin said. Law slowly removed his hands from Neo like he was going to have to grab her if she lunged at Penguin again.

"So what happened?" A crew mate asked.

"Well, after being pulled into the strange vortex," Penguin tried to explain. "I struggled with Isleen over Cora's magic. I'm not sure how, but his magic burned her. It then absorbed into my body. Isleen was furious and the next thing I know everything went black and I woke up here. So what happened to you all? Where's Isleen?"

"Dead," Law said flatly. Penguin nodded in understanding. He found it no surprise that the captain killed her. He didn't even need a confirmation that it was Law. He knew it was.

Just then a technician walked over. She checked the disks that still remained on Penguin and Corazon's skin. She then smiled. "Success. All of Corazon's magic has been returned to him. Now, you're going to feel weak for several weeks. Humans bodies were created to handle magic, but you will be just fine. Just take is easy and don't do anything strenuous until you're back to your normal self."

"He won't be doing anything strenuous for a long time. _Right?!_ " Neo said giving both Penguin and Law pointed looks. Both men nodded stiffly and knowingly. Both knew they had better obey _her order_ on this one or they _both_ would be in the dog house for a very long time. Both crews and Kiba chuckled at Law and Penguin's obedience to Neo's command.

…

"Mmmm," Nami hummed as the sun beamed down on her bikini clad body. "This is so nice."

"So nice," Celeste chirped while sunning herself on Robin's knee. One of the rare times she wasn't with Sanji.

"It is," Robin agreed. She too was in a bikini, much to the enjoyment of Sanji and several other men on Luminous.

"Here you go, my little lovelies," Sanji spun over to them with hearts in his eyes. "Sweet, refreshing drinks for my sweets."

"Thank you, Sanji," The women chirped. Celeste flew up from her spot on Robin's knee and took a sip of the black hair woman's drink. The cook then spun over to Neo. She was sitting under a tree with Law, Corazon and Penguin.

"Here you go," Sanji said, handing them their drinks. "Penguin, I've made your extra special to help regain your energy and strength."

"You didn't have to go through the trouble," Penguin said as he took his drink from the cook. They only spent a couple more days back in the empress's castle after Penguin woke up before deciding it would be best to finish recovering on Luminous. The empress still had the deal with the aftermath of the Warpers. It's been a month since they returned to Luminous. Penguin was now able to walk on his own, but he was still sluggish. Neo stuck to his side like glue. She watched over his therapy with Law and Corazon by their sides as well.

"Of course I did," Sanji winked at Neo, much to Law's annoyance. "You are our darling Neo's brother. I'm more than glad to help your recovery in anyway I can."

"Thanks, Sanji," Neo said as Law just nodded his thanks. Corazon crawled into Law's lap and pointed at the drink. Law smirked and help their son take a drink. "So, when do you think you all will be leaving?"

Sanji sighed and looked up at the sky. "I suspect it won't be much longer now. You know Luffy can only sit still for so long. And now that we know you all are doing better, we'll probably be leaving in a few days."

"Yeah," Neo nodded, sadly. She looked over at the rest of their crews. They were engaged in sparring with each other and some Elementals. "I'll miss you all."

"And we'll miss you," Sanji smiled.

"We'll be leaving soon as well," Law said. "Penguin's therapy can be continued on the sub."

"Yeah," Neo nodded. "I figured as much."

And so it was. A few days later, both the Straw Hat and the Heart Pirate crews were ready to head back to the seas where they belonged. Neo stood on the beach of Luminous with Law. She watched as the two crews climbed upon their ships. Corazon was with Penguin, trying to steal the man's hat as he climbed up the ladder.

"It always feels like you're never here for very long before having to leave," Kiba said as he stepped beside his sister. "It's very gloomy this time. It feels like I'm never going to see you again."

"Don't say that," Neo said. "We will see each other again. And maybe next time it will be of our own choice and not some nut job seeking revenge."

Kiba couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe."

He then hugged his sister before looking at Law. "Take care of them."

Law nodded. Law then looked at Neo. She took a slow deep breath to try and stop her tears. "Yeah. I know. It's time for us to go."

"Like you said, we will see each other again," Law said, taking her hand in his.

"So we will," Neo nodded. Law then warped them onto the sub. They waved to the Straw Hats before entering into the sub. They walked right to the rec. room. Penguin, Shachi and Bepo were inside with Corazon. Law wrapped his arms around Neo. She leaned into his embrace with a content sigh. Finally, her family was back together again. She tilted her eyes put to Law, cupped his face and pulled him into a kiss.

…

 **Author's Notes: 76 chapters total for this version of Neo's story. Dang! That's my longest story ever. And it's only going to get longer with the rewrite. I'm so gonna beat 76 chapters. I have mixed feelings on this being the last chapter, but I felt like it was starting to drag out a bit. At least now I can focus on the rewrite more. I'm also working on a Luffy x OC and gonna force myself to do another Law x OC (even thought it might be the only other for Law I do with a different girl), Neo will always be my main girl for Law. She's, possible, gonna get more stories in the future. But she needs her solar crystal first in the rewrite since more stories on her will follow that update version.**

 **Thank you all for following along with this story. And thanks for all the reviews and comments. You all are great! :)**

 **Puddykatz: Yes, Luffy/OC chapter one is already up. But I keep having doubts about it. :/**

 **Apple Bloom: Twice? Was it really that good? ^.^ Well, glad you liked it so much.**


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